Homelessness up in Utah but down in S.L. County

Utah's homeless population has increased by 8 percent since last year — from 14,375 to an estimated 15,525 — but chronic homelessness in Salt Lake County is down by 24 percent, according to survey results announced Tuesday by the state Division of Housing and Community Development.

The statewide increase reflects the faltering economy and the growing number of Utah workers who have lost housing because they've lost their jobs, according to the annual snapshot taken each January.

The reduction in Salt Lake County is being credited to having more than 200 housing units specifically targeted for the chronically homeless.

The state's Permanent Supportive Housing program, part of a nationwide effort to end chronic homeless by 2014, will open Palmer Court in downtown Salt Lake next month. The former Holiday Inn has been remodeled to provide 200 apartments and house 300 people. In addition, the Newhouse Apartments and Avalon House are expected to be complete by the end of the year.

The economy has added an unexpected wrinkle to the housing effort, according to the report, but that's just another reason to carry on the effort.

"Thankfully, our community implemented its efforts to house people experiencing chronic homelessness not a moment too soon," said Matthew Minkevitch, executive director of The Road Home, the state's largest emergency shelter. "This created capacity in our shelters just in time for the surge in homelessness that many of our cities have experienced over the past two years."

Fortunately, Minkevitch added, the permanent housing has helped to free up capacity at the shelters in time to serve the increasing number of homeless men, women and families with children.

"As we continue to develop better housing alternatives for all Utahns, we will be able to reduce overall homelessness statewide," he said.

Housing homeless people first and then dealing with the circumstances or behaviors that are contributing to their homelessness is the smartest approach financially, according to the report.

Housing a person first and then providing case-management services from job training to chemical dependency costs $12,000 a year, compared with $19,000 per individual living on the street.

Currently in Salt Lake County, 706 people are considered chronically homeless. That's 228 fewer people than in January 2008.