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SALT LAKE CITY — It's not often that Keith Lamb sits down to lunch with a state senator and a state representative.
But Friday, during the noon meal at Catholic Community Services of Utah's St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall, Rep. Robert Spendlove, R-Sandy, and Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Odgen, were his dining companions.
"It was interesting," said Lamb, who is living at the Road Home's downtown shelter while he recovers from surgery on both knees and he reapplies for his commercial driver license, which is expired.
Lamb said Spendlove and Christensen asked him if he lives in the homeless shelter, if he likes it and if he feels safe there.
"It's good to see other people come into these places, actually eat the food and take part of the whole surroundings," Lamb said.
Christensen, Spendlove and other members the Utah Legislature's Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee took their business on the road Friday, conducting a meeting at the Road Home's Palmer Court.
"We study these issues every day in our committees and in our work. I was able to meet several children that are in the Head Start program and have lunch with a man who is down on his luck living in the homeless shelter. Putting that face to the issue is essential," Spendlove said.
Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, said he learned more about the services offered at the Weigand Homeless Resource Center and its dining hall.
"The food was good. I'm just impressed with all the services for people who come here. I didn't know about the homeless court, haircuts and UTA dispute resolution," Weiler said.
Thomas Pavich, who shared a lunch table with Rep. Paul Ray, R-Sunset, and Rep. Sandra Hollins, D-Salt Lake, said he volunteers at the dining hall because "I've been on both sides of the fence," referring to homelessness.
Pavich is no longer homeless and enjoys giving back when he can, he said. "I love everyone down here. It's a beautiful thing."
We study these issues every day in our committees and in our work. I was able to meet several children that are in the Head Start program and have lunch with a man who is down on his luck living in the homeless shelter. Putting that face to the issue is essential.
–Rep. Robert Spendlove, R-Sandy
He also knows what it means to have a hot meal when you don't have a roof over your head.
"I've been there. Once in a while I see a couple of people I know down and out on the street and I let them come to my place to shower up and I do their laundry for them. It's a little thing, but a lot of the time, they don't have anywhere else to do it," he said.
As for spending time with state lawmakers, Pavich said he respects their gift of service.
"God bless them," he said.
Matthew Melville, Catholic Community Services' operations manager for homeless services, told lawmakers that St. Vincent de Paul serves 500-600 lunches and dinners each day.
Recently, volunteers and staff have observed an increase in families seeking meals at dinner time.
"The other night when I was volunteering, there were five tables full of families," Melville said.
At Palmer Court, a 201-unit apartment complex for formerly chronically homeless families and individuals, lawmakers toured a studio apartment and the Head Start program on site.
While Friday's visit gave lawmakers a glimpse of supportive housing and community-based services, Matthew Minkevitch, executive director of the Road Home, reminded legislators that people who no longer need shelter and services need "deeply affordable housing" to achieve self-sufficiency.
Some estimates suggest there is need for some 8,000 units of affordable housing in Salt Lake County alone, he said.
