The ongoing homeless problem in Salt Lake is a tough one to solve. Homeless shelters are running at capacity and the Tiny Home Village is still in the planning stages. So Carol Hollowell came up with an alternative solution that could get people out of the cold and off the streets. Hollowell says her original background had nothing to do with homlessness. Born and raised in … [Read more...]
Homeless Policies in Salt Lake City: Paying off? Or an Endless Money Pit?
The homeless in Salt Lake City has always been on the periphery, but today they are camping right on Main Street impacting local business operations and causing blight, especially the area formerly occupied by Sam Weller’s Zion Bookstore. Utah Stories wrote in a previous article about the hardship of business owner Omar Mullahkhel, who has operated the Market on Main … [Read more...]
The Reality of Van Life in Moab, Utah
Cindy Martinez has been coming to Moab during the summers to work since 2016. She’s nearing 65, and her husband is 70. Both collect disability, and both live out of their van. “There are good things and bad things that happen in Moab,” Martinez said. The wages in Moab are high, but the cost of living is higher. Maintaining daily routines while living out of a vehicle is … [Read more...]
Tiny Houses May be the Solution to a Big Problem in SLC
Tiny homes to the rescue! Salt Lake City, like most metropolitan areas, has an affordable housing crisis along with a growing homeless crisis, and tiny houses may be the solution. Mayor Erin Mendenhall has plans to “make measurable progress on a tiny home pilot project by facilitating at least six work sessions with community partners and using the findings to chart a path … [Read more...]
No Hiding the Homeless: Pandemic pulls back the curtain on SLC homelessness
Next to the Geraldine E. King Women’s Center sits a cluster of tents and homeless individuals leaning against a nearby building. The Center, at 700 South and State Street stands witness to one of dozens of encampments scattered throughout the city, highlighting the persistent issue of homelessness that has become even more visible amid the pandemic. “There have been more … [Read more...]
Homeless in Sugar House: The Problem Does Not Go Away, Only Moves Around
For decades, Salt Lake City’s Rio Grande district carried the reputation of a scary and blighted area, rife with drugs and crime. Once a bustling transit hub during America’s train era, the district slowly disintegrated into a derelict haven for prostitution and criminal activity, as a highly concentrated and dangerous transient population threatened the … [Read more...]