Collaboration stressed in fight against homelessness

Lifting some 2,000 Utahns out of chronic homelessness will require teamwork and dedication, state officials said Wednesday, putting out an all-hands-on-deck message at the third annual homeless summit.

Positive outcomes in the state's fight against homelessness to date have been the result of unique collaboration between state and local leaders, nonprofit organizations and the private sector, officials said, which must continue if the state is to see continued success.

"That collaboration is what is bringing us together and helping us to have something to celebrate rather than just worry about problems," said Gordon Walker, director of the state's Division of Housing and Community Development.

Since last year's summit, state officials have made notable strides in their efforts to end chronic homelessness in Utah. On Tuesday, they broke ground on an 84-unit apartment complex in South Salt Lake that will provide permanent supportive housing for the homeless. Another 100-unit project, the Sunrise Apartments in downtown Salt Lake City, will open in March.

More than 150 social service caseworkers have been trained to help homeless Utahns access Social Security benefits, and 17 people have been placed in a pilot program focusing on a "housing first" model to ending homelessness. Sixteen people remain in the two-year program.

"This program is expanding and mushrooming. I think it's going to have a significant impact as we try to address the homeless issue," said Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, chairman of the state coordinating council on the homeless. "I think our future is bright."

Listening to comments from key players in Utah's fight against homelessness, it would appear the state has turned the corner on eliminating chronic homelessness altogether. But things remain to be done, the speakers said, as evidenced by the fourth annual homeless summit already scheduled for October 2007.

By that time, said Palmer DePaulis, executive director of the Utah Department of Community and Culture, the state will have even more milestones to celebrate.

"I think we are on the brink of doing some pretty wonderful things for this issue, in this small part of the country," DePaulis said Wednesday. "We can be the model. We can lead, and I think others will follow."

Chronic homelessness is defined as being homeless for more than one year or four times over a three-year period. Of Utah's 15,000 homeless in 2005, 2,000 were classified as chronically homeless.

Utah's rate is about half the national average, a small consolation for state officials.

"Anybody who's homeless without shelter is one too many," Herbert said.