Salt Lake City seeks public's help in selecting new homeless shelter sites


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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's capital city will be home to two new homeless shelters, but where should they be built?

That's the question Salt Lake City leaders want the public's help to answer.

The Salt Lake City Homeless Services Site Evaluation Commission will be hosting four community workshops between June 13 and June 20, city officials announced in a news release Tuesday.

The workshops are meant to give residents opportunities to hear about the site selection process, learn about the homeless population and provide feedback on how the new shelters — which city leaders have deemed homeless "resource centers" — should be incorporated into the community.

During the workshops, community members will be asked to prioritize criteria for the centers. The criteria, established by city's homeless commission last year, includes proximity to public transportation, access to technology, and space for intake and caseworkers.

Community members' feedback on that criteria will help guide the homeless commission as it works to choose construction sites for the two new centers, city leaders said.

The committee aims to present site recommendations by this fall.

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The new shelters and their services stem from a $27 million, three-year grant the Utah Legislature approved this year to reform statewide efforts to house, shelter and service people experiencing homelessness by building new shelters at scattered sites to break up the population at the Road Home.

The aim is to serve families, single adults, children and other specific populations experiencing homelessness in a more strategic way.

What will eventually happen to the Road Home is still under consideration. Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski has said breaking up the Road Home's 1,000-plus population will take time, and the final decision around the shelter's future will be made through the city's site evaluation committee.

Workshops are scheduled for Monday at the Sorenson Unity Center, 1383 S. 900 West; Wednesday, June 15, at The Leonardo, 209 E. 500 South; Thursday, June 16, at Dilworth Elementary, 1953 S. 2100 East; and Monday, June 20, at the Marmalade Library, 280 W. 500 North. All workshops will run from 6-8 p.m.

Contributing: Ashley Moser

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