Why are Salt Lake City’s public housing initiatives under the "Housing First" Banner proving to be such a dismal failure since 2016? Utah Stories has uncovered that even the most expensive units in Salt Lake City, such as the Magnolia Apartments, along with Palmer Court as well as all of the new homeless resources centers are proving to not help the homeless work on their … [Read more...]
Green Phoenix Farms Helps Homeless Women Get off the Streets
James Loomis is the Director of Green Phoenix Farms, which is a non-profit organization that assists homeless women in getting off the streets and into productive roles by growing fresh produce at their farm located in downtown Salt Lake City. Aside from being a fully functioning certified organic urban farm, the Green Phoenix Farm offers a job training program providing … [Read more...]
The Majority of Utah’s Unsheltered Want to Work. What’s preventing them?
70% of Utah's homeless tell Utah Stories in an informal survey that they would like to work. Ten percent tell us they could work very limited hours and twenty percent say they are currently unable to work. Restaurant owners are struggling to keep hours because of their desperate need for employees, some have even closed their doors for lack of finding prep cooks and … [Read more...]
Homeless Population Forces Prominent Business to Leave Downtown Salt Lake City
Linda Southam called the police “again” one morning to dislodge a passed-out homeless man who wouldn’t budge from the entrance. The founder and co-owner of Southam Gallery told the officer, “You need to be a little more mean so they don’t come back.” The officer replied, “Ma’am, I have to do this a hundred times a day. I can’t be mean every time.” “The police are so … [Read more...]
A Look at Tenement Housing as Opposed to Government Housing
Crossing the Great Chasm From Ward of the State to Productive Citizen In response to a reader's comment: on Reddit: I've actually been doing an assignment surrounding homelessness and a part of me wishes I've chosen another social issue. The more I learn the more I get depressed. I have no idea what the solutions are, and it appears to me as if there may be none to speak … [Read more...]
Are Salt Lake Homeless Resource Centers a Failure for the Neighborhoods that Welcomed Them?
Back in 2016 amidst a surge in crime/lawlessness and homeless, both Salt Lake City and Utah state leaders devised a plan called Operation Rio Grande. State leaders on the “homeless task force” including Representative Greg Huges and then Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox along with former Mayor Jackie Biskupski all decided to close the Road Home, (1,000-bed homeless shelter) and … [Read more...]
The Utah Homeless Conundrum: Salt Lake’s Unsheltered Not Able to Find Shelter while Winter Is Approaching
There is a false dichotomy: downtown Salt Lake City residents cannot be both compassionate for the homeless and compassionate to business owners and residents. Downtown Salt Lake City October 26th —Witnessing first-hand the temperature drop below freezing along with Salt Lake City Police’s futile tug-of-war against the Salt Lake City homeless community was something akin to … [Read more...]
Why More Homeless Spending Is Resulting in More Homeless People
Danielle Ahn is running for Salt Lake County District Attorney. Working closely with the homeless resource providers she has some inside knowledge about how the "homeless industrial complex" is operating, providing huge amounts of money to homeless service providers without providing services to homeless individuals. She describes the operation as a "revolving door" between … [Read more...]
Releasing Murderers in Utah Needs to Stop, Says Danielle Ahn
Danielle Ahn is a Salt Lake City attorney taking on current Sim Gill to become Salt Lake County’s next District Attorney. Danielle Ahn has a strong opinion about the ways in which far too many violent offenders are being released under current Salt Lake County DA Sim Gill’s office. These offenders are getting away without prison time, or even felony charges being brought … [Read more...]
The $300 Million Utah Homeless Question
Answered by Utah’s Foremost State Auditor $200-$300 million is spent every year on Utah’s homeless services. Is this money reducing homelessness? Utah State Auditor with 36 years of experience says “No”. Should the Homeless in Salt Lake City be allowed to camp all day in our parks and on the sides of the streets? Use drugs in front of businesses? For the past few years, … [Read more...]