A new program to help the Utah homeless population launches this week
Apr 28, 2026, 2:24 PM | Updated: 3:22 pm
Switchpoint's Salt Lake Overflow Shelter in West Valley City is part of Project Bridge, a new program designed to better connect the homeless population with mental health, addiction recovery, housing resources, and many more services. (Tess Crowley, Deseret News)
(Tess Crowley, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Office of Homeless Services is taking its services on the road.
This is a new program called Project Bridge. The goal is to better connect the homeless population with mental health, addiction recovery, housing resources and many more services. Project Bridge is designed to connect with people who have never had this kind of support.
State Homeless Coordinator Tyler Clancy said the term “homeless” has many different circumstances: from someone who has lost housing because of the high costs of living, to those with addiction, to those fleeing a dangerous situation. He said that each unique situation needs unique support.
For now, the outreach will be focused on the areas around the resource centers. The idea is to offer these services to individuals who may have been in the shelters but have not received these services. Clancy said if this is successful, they plan to branch out to other locations the homeless population frequents to offer them help as well.
Clancy also said that if they can better isolate the different reasons people are experiencing homelessness, they can more effectively get people into the type of shelter that better meets their needs. For example, an older veteran who may be disabled or has PTSD will have different needs than a parent with young children, or a person with an addiction.
The legislature has set aside approximately 44 million dollars to help fund the initiative.
Read more: Salt Lake City’s homeless resource centers receive $10 million donation
