Every night there are anywhere from 1,000 up to 2,000 people in Utah sleeping on the streets, along riverways, squatting in parks, or wandering around trying to find safety and security, most are in Salt Lake County, but the number is growing as every city along the Wasatch Front is facing housing shortages. Michael Sussman is one of these unsheltered people. With a cracked … [Read more...]
A Homeless Couple Returning to Utah after Ten Years Shocked by Drug Activity and Lawlessness in Salt Lake
We talked to Dennis and Tami a year ago on the Hidden Hollow Trail between Sugar House Park and the Sugar House central business district. Dennis told me how he always saw Salt Lake City as being a place that has “had all of its ducks in a row.” But when he returned to Salt Lake, after living in California for ten years he was surprised by the level of lawlessness and drug … [Read more...]
Five Things You May Not Know About Utah: Cultural Quirks and Fascinating Facts
Utah is known the world over for a number of reasons. Most notably, Utah is famous for its stunning scenery, almost limitless outdoor recreation opportunities, world class Olympic venues, the greatest snow skiing on earth, the largest saltwater lake in the western hemisphere, the Sundance Film Festival, and for the five national parks which highlight our incomparable red rock … [Read more...]
Salt Lake City’s Homeless Abatement Policies Examined
If the homeless abatement policy and program were designed to help the homeless to find a more secure place to camp or stay, perhaps this $1-$2 million per year cost to Salt Lake City taxpayers could be justified. But it could be argued that the opposite is true. The cruelty of moving unsheltered people and families from empty lots who have nowhere else to stay is essentially … [Read more...]
Investigating Homelessness Death and Public Safety in Utah
Housing costs have risen sky-high in Utah. Many are priced out of the market. Just what is the city doing to help those who have become recently homeless? They are “abating” them. Eric Peterson from the Utah Investigative Journalism Project recently wrote an article for the Salt Lake Tribune concerning the exorbitant costs of homeless abatements in 2021. Peterson appeared on … [Read more...]
New York Times Journalist Appalled by the Homeless Situation in Salt Lake
We Are Humans, Plead Salt Lake's Homeless Population New York Times photographer says Salt Lake City’s ongoing efforts to clear out homeless people are inhumane and unnecessary. Five years ago, the New York Times sent journalists to Salt Lake City to report on the deteriorating homeless situation and particularly on Operation Rio Grande. Robin Pendergrast was sent on … [Read more...]
Is There a Homeless Serial Killer on the Loose Who The Salt Lake City Police Department is Refusing to Investigate?
In Utah Stories' ongoing interviews with unsheltered homeless individuals, we learned from two homeless people that up to several dozen homeless people have been murdered in the past eight months. Is this true? As of Friday, July 27th, The SLCPD is refusing to speak about or provide any statements about the rumored homeless murders occurring in downtown Salt Lake … [Read more...]
Local and Mixed-Use Superior to Corporate Big Box Zoning
Would you rather walk around Sugar House or the big-box complexes in Sandy? Would you prefer to window shop in Park City or Draper’s Big-Box Furniture Row that offers acres of asphalt parking? Would you rather live in a rambler in Taylorsville or an old two-story Victorian mining house in Park City? These might sound like silly questions because if you know these cities … [Read more...]
Gondola up Little Cottonwood Canyon Proposal: Short-sighted, waste-of-money, elitist visions of grandeur should remain in the clouds
It appears that the $1-$2 billion dollar gondola-up-the-canyon proposal is currying favor with more elites. Snowbird has purchased the land where the base station and parking lot of the proposed gondola would be located. Snowbird currently charges $130 for a day pass and for an extra $60 elites can get a special exemption from waiting in lines. Snowbird is probably the best … [Read more...]
Priced Out of the Rental Market Utah: Single Homeless Mother Explains Difficulty of Current Housing Crisis
The current rental market is pricing people out who are ending up on the streets. Downtown Salt Lake City homeless camp at 700 West 200 South: Kevin and Brooke are trying to stay hydrated and cool despite the 105-degree record-breaking heat. Both were gainfully employed when they found themselves priced out of the housing market, unable to get into affordable … [Read more...]