The Utah Legislature will be faced with a question of whether to help foot the bill for a 1,300-bed homeless campus in the northwest part of Salt Lake City.[1] But why are more beds needed? This goes back to Utah’s success with “Housing First.”
Beginning in the mid-2000s, Utah had been recognized as a leader in addressing chronic homelessness through the implementation of the Housing First model.[2] This approach prioritizes immediate housing support to individuals, particularly those who are facing chronic homelessness, without the commonly found preconditions such as sobriety or treatment compliance.[3]
Housing First-type programs show strong outcomes for participants: 93% of people placed in supportive housing communities remain housed after one year.[4] As a result, Utah’s Housing First approach produced significant successes. Chronic homelessness declined by 91% from 2005 to 2015, and remained below 200 people until 2017.[5] (See the figure.) This decrease was celebrated as a success and an example of the efficiency of Housing First when supported by resources and coordination. “No other state [was] even close” to achieving Utah’s successes.[6]
Fast forward to today. Utah has seen an increase in chronic homelessness.[7] From 2016 to 2025, the number of chronically homeless individuals has jumped by more than seven times.[8] (See the figure.) This is due, in part, to the very nature of supportive housing communities. The support is relatively permanent. Therefore, you need to continue building more to keep up with the expansion of the unhoused population.
In addition to an increase in chronic homelessness, the annual 2025 Point-in-Time Count found that 4,584 Utahns experienced homelessness on a single night in late January. That was an 18% increase from 2024.[9] Many of those are Utahns experiencing first-time homelessness. This suggests that economic pressures, including increased costs and limited housing, contribute to housing uncertainty.[10] For some, this first-time homelessness turns into chronic homelessness, which would then continue to outpace the availability of supportive housing units. This highlights the need for investment in supportive housing communities to meet the needs of the growing homeless population in a world with numerous structural barriers, such as stagnant wages, mental health service gaps, and system inequities.[11]
In response, Utah’s homelessness experts expect that the new, “human-first,” “hub and spoke” campus proposed for the northwestern part of Salt Lake City will “help individuals reclaim their inherent dignity [and] achieve self-reliance.”[12]
Written by Bala Tella (a Salt Lake City School District West High School senior) with help from Shawn Teigen.
[1] Utah Office of Homeless Services, 2025, “News Release: The Utah Office of Homeless Services and the Utah Homeless Services Board Announce a Contract to Acquire Land to Construct a State Homeless Campus,” Utah Department of Workforce Services, https://jobs.utah.gov/department/press/2025/090325.html.
[2] National Public Radio, 2025, “Utah Reduced Chronic Homelessness by 91 Percent; Here’s How.” NPR, https://www.npr.org/2015/12/10/459100751/utah-reduced-chronic-homelessness-by-91-percent-heres-how.
[3] Utah Department of Workforce Services, 2017, “Comprehensive Report on Homelessness,” Utah Housing and Community Development Division, https://jobs.utah.gov/housing/scso/documents/homelessness2017.pdf.
[4] Utah Office of Homeless Services, 2023, “Annual Data Report on Homelessness,” Utah Office of Homeless Services, https://jobs.utah.gov/homelessness/homelessnessreport.pdf.
[5] Tolman, Ashley, and Tamera Kohler, 2015, “Comprehensive Report on Homelessness, State of Utah 2015,” Utah Housing and Community Development Division, State Community Services Office, http://jobs.utah.gov/housing/scso/documents/homelessness2015.pdf.
[6] Cortez, Marjorie, 2015, “Chronic homelessness in Utah down 91 percent under decade-long ‘Housing First’ initiative,” Deseret News, https://www.deseret.com/2015/4/28/20563688/chronic-homelessness-in-utah-down-91-percent-under-decade-long-housing-first-initiative/.
[7] Utah Office of Homeless Services, 2023, “Annual Data Report on Homelessness,” Utah Office of Homeless Services, https://jobs.utah.gov/homelessness/homelessnessreport.pdf.
[8] Utah Office of Homeless Services, 2023, “Annual Data Report on Homelessness,” Utah Office of Homeless Service, https://jobs.utah.gov/homelessness/homelessnessreport.pdf.
[9] Utah Office of Homeless Services, 2025, ”Annual Data Report: Key Findings,” Utah Office of Homeless Services, https://utahnewsdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2025-Annual-Report-Key-Findings.pdf.
[10] Utah Office of Homeless Services, 2023, ”Annual Data Report on Homelessness,” Utah Office of Homeless Services, https://jobs.utah.gov/homelessness/homelessnessreport.pdf
[11] Utah Office of Homeless Services, 2023, “Annual Data Report on Homelessness,” Utah Office of Homeless Services, https://jobs.utah.gov/homelessness/homelessnessreport.pdf.
[12] Utah Office of Homeless Services, 2025, “News Release: The Utah Office of Homeless Services and the Utah Homeless Services Board Announce a Contract to Acquire Land to Construct a State Homeless Campus,” Utah Department of Workforce Services, https://jobs.utah.gov/department/press/2025/090325.html.
Categories: