FILE PHOTO: Homeless man. Photo by Jonathan Rados on Unsplash
CACHE COUNTY – Thanks to Utah House Bill 440 (Homeless Services Amendments), Cache Valley may be in line to receive state funds to address the local issue of homelessness.
That proposal was approved by the Utah House on Mar. 1 and Senate on Mar. 3, in the waning days of the 2022 general session of the Legislature.
If signed by Gov. Spencer Cox, that law will provide $5.8 million in state one-time funds for loan repayment assistance for homeless shelters throughout the state and an additional $5 million in annual funds to be dispersed to eligible municipalities.
“I appreciate the leadership of Utah Rep. Steve Eliason (R-Salt Lake) in sponsoring this important bill,” said Cache County Executive David N. Zook, “as well as all the background work and preparation that was put into it by Rep. Dan Johnson (R-North Logan).
“Funding to support homeless services will help us to serve some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Zook, who is chairman of the Bear River Homeless Council, recently advocated for a county resource center to provide overflow shelter for local homeless persons. That proposal came after Zook said that the annual “Point in Time” headcount of homeless persons revealed more than 200 total in Cache Valley.
That suggestion drew fire from some members of the Cache County Council, who viewed Zook’s unilateral proposal as usurpation of their authority and a potential waste of money.
The thrust of H.B. 440, according to its legislative sponsors (Eliason and Sen. Jacob Anderegg, R-Lehi), is to encourage municipalities to provide emergency shelter space during the cold winter months when the homeless often overwhelm the capacity of non-profit homeless shelters.
During hearings on H.B. 440 at the Capitol, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall argued that the proposal didn’t provide enough incentive to get all the other cities in Salt Lake County engaged in combating homelessness.
Despite that concern. H.B. passed the Utah House by a 53-to-21 vote and the Senate by a 24-to-4 margin.
H.B. 440 will provide new financial support for mitigation services for cities with homeless shelters, using a formula based on the size of the municipalities and also on application process.
Zook explained that “additional money for the Homeless Shelter Cities Mitigation Account comes from sales and use tax revenue.”
Mitigation funding is for public safety and other services to counter the impact of an eligible shelter in the community, according to Zook. For municipalities that qualify for first-tier funding – which is more than 90 percent of the state mitigation funds – H.B. 440 will also provide support for overflow shelter capacity in those cities with homeless shelters serving at least 200 individuals during the coldest months of October 1 to April 30.
Here in Cache Valley, the Bear River Homeless Council is made up of multiple government, non-profit and community leaders who work together to find solutions for the increasing numbers homeless and at-risk persons in northern Utah.
Those council members advocate for homeless services as well as affordable housing solutions.
In response to increasing needs for shelter, other organizations in Cache County provide funding for temporary emergency housing in local hotels.
As of Mar. 7, H.B. 440 was still awaiting Gov. Cox’s signature.