Public comment on state’s plan to fight homelessness begins

SALT LAKE CITY, UT — The public comment period has opened for the state’s strategic plan for addressing homelessness in Utah.

A draft of the new plan called “Statewide Collaboration for Change: Utah’s Plan to Address Homelessness,” was released on Dec. 16. The plan includes finding an organization with experience and success in helping communities and fighting homelessness.

The search led to a contract signed with Homebase, a San Francisco-based non-profit working to build “community capacity to prevent and end homelessness,” according to a press release.

Since early 2022, Homebase has reviewed multiple survey reports and interviewed community leaders. Along with this, it reported its findings to the Homelessness Council, according to the Department of Workforce Services.

One part of the plan includes ways to reduce and prevent homeless in Utah. In addition to this, the plan will work to strengthen support for physical and mental health programs available for Utah’s unhoused residents.

A needs assessment included a numbers crunch to see what current programs that include existing housing and services are successful, and cost effectiveness for new programs that would be proposed.

Public comment on the plan will be collected through January 8, 2023. To provide public comment click here.

Related: Utah official says better coordination could help with homelessness