Salt Lake City mayor wants to spend $6M on housing for homeless people - Axios Salt Lake CityLog InLog InAxios Salt Lake City is an Axios company.

SLC mayor wants to spend $6 million on housing for people experiencing homelessness

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall proposed a $6 million grant program yesterday that will fund 400 housing units for low-income people and individuals experiencing homelessness. State of play: If approved by the city council, the permanent housing units would be completed by mid-April 2023, around the time when winter overflow shelters close. Under the proposal, developers would be able to apply to build projects that include at least 90 units of permanent supportive housing and transitional housing, Mendenhall said. The big picture: Mendenhall's proposal comes at a time when state and local governments are working together to make historic investments to increase the state's affordable housing inventory.Earlier this year, Salt Lake County also committed to spending $20 million to increase the county's affordable housing options, . Go deeper: Context: Local and state leaders have grappled with finding solutions to homelessness in Utah's capital city, particularly since the Road Home's downtown shelter closed in late 2019. The number of Utahns who were experiencing homelessness for the first time increased by 14% between 2020 and 2021. During that time, about 17,500 people interacted with the state's homeless system, according to Utah's housing coordinator Wayne Niederhauser.Salt Lake City has also opened temporary overflow shelters during the winter. Yes, but: As soon as winter overflow shelters close, Mendenhall said the question remains: Where are people supposed to go? What they're saying: "We know that many of the residents in encampments would move indoors if they had a private space of their own available," Mendenhall said during a news conference Tuesday. What's next: Salt Lake City Council will hold a public comment session on the grant funding proposal on Sept. 20 at 7pm. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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