From Deseret News archives:
Affordable housing a countywide issue
With the heart of the city in the midst of a head-to-toe makeover with the planned construction of the City Creek Center development and the upcoming addition of several condominium complexes, longtime single-room occupancy housing, or SROs, may fall victim to new development. In other words, the economic boom driving the downtown development may, ultimately, squeeze out some on the fringes.
This is a very delicate problem. It is always dangerous to paint with a broad brush, but residents of SROs share one characteristic: They have very low incomes. They desperately need housing, and the SROs rent for $85 a week. That's unmatched elsewhere.
But city officials say the SROs are in horrendous condition. Fixing the old hotels, two of which are owned by Salt Lake City's Redevelopment Agency, does not make financial sense. To hedge the potential loss of these buildings, the Salt Lake City Council has voted to contribute up to $3 million in RDA money to help The Road Home buy and renovate a Holiday Inn at 999 S. Main with the help of a $7 million donation from the LDS Church. (The LDS Church owns this newspaper and City Creek Center.)
The Road Home facility will include housing for people transitioning out of homelessness and some SRO units. Minimal background checks will be required because the complex also will include housing for families with children.
This should, to some degree, offset the potential loss of SROs in the downtown area. But some people will not qualify to live at the renovated hotel. Still others will not want to comply with the rules of the complex. What will become of them?
Perhaps the larger question is, why isn't affordable housing a greater priority valleywide? A handful of cities have shouldered this responsibility for decades while others have resisted such development to the point of lawsuits.
New development in Salt Lake City's downtown will enable the area to flourish for decades to come. That's a very good thing. But care must be taken to ensure that there are housing options for people in all stations of life. That should be a shared responsibility valleywide.
