Amy J. Hawkins moved to the Ballpark Neighborhood in Salt Lake City back in 2013, when she relocated from Washington D.C. to Salt Lake City to teach medical school students at the University of Utah. Like many transplants, the urban lifestyle of living near a ballpark and near a Trax station appealed to Hawkins. "I was afraid of the snow, so the idea of riding a train to … [Read more...]
The Unsheltered With Mental Disorders in Utah
The demand for mental health care far exceeds the supply. The Otherside Village and the Huntsman Mental Health Institute will attempt to alleviate shortages. Currently, our cities and state are woefully inadequate when it comes to treating the growing number of unsheltered individuals who are suffering from mental disorders. This is apparent from a recent observation outside … [Read more...]
Hundreds of Unsheltered People are Sleeping on Salt Lake City’s Streets Tonight. Why?
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...]
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...]
Did Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall Lie to the Homeless People?
Salt Lake City’s Unofficial Homeless Mayor to Mayor Mendenhall, “You Lied to Me!” Yet another Salt Lake City homeless camp is “abated” and the unsheltered homeless try to scatter to find shelter in 100-degree heat. The media were not allowed to take photos or videos of what was transpiring just after the health department began its efforts. “I’ve been moved out probably … [Read more...]
Utah Homelessness Getting Out of Control: What are the solutions?
A conversation with Pioneer Park Coalition board Member Scott Howell and Catholic Diocese Director Jean Hill. It’s an untenable situation: more people camping on the streets; more people unwilling to enter shelters; more clearly insane people walking around the streets in downtown; all social services in Salt Lake City are maxed out. There are not enough social workers, beds, … [Read more...]
Homeless in Sugar House
As apartment buildings rise and the shelters fill, the voices of the homeless on homeless policy. “I’ve given up on the homeless resource center,” said a man who we’ll call John. Now camping around Fairmont Park for the past few months, John added, “They say they want to help, but I showed up two minutes after eight o’clock and they took my room and kept all of my … [Read more...]
Could Tiny Homes Be the Answer to Utah’s Affordable Housing Shortage?
A Tiny Home Village is A Much Better Solution Than “Housing First” to Alleviate Utah’s Affordable Housing Crisis A tiny home village in Austin, Texas called Community First! Village, has been working to help alleviate the working-poor homeless gap in Austin, Texas, which is even more of a boom-town than Salt Lake City. It’s a much better solution for the working poor … [Read more...]
Six Years of Failed Homeless Policy in Salt Lake City
A look back at the last six years of Salt Lake City’s projects for handling chronic homelessness Eric Vini, a working homeless man put it this way, “They will give another person a house that is not working, but a working person can’t get a house!” Vini added, “A person who is out here every day, can get a house, but a working person who is trying to be a productive citizen … [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...]