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PROVO — Provo officials say efforts to tackle drugs and overcrowding at Salt Lake City's main homeless shelter appear to be bringing more people in need to their city south of Utah's capital.
Many of the newcomers arriving over the past several months are looking for housing, which is a challenge because Utah County doesn't have a traditional short-term shelter, Brent Crane with the Food and Care Coalition in Provo told the Daily Herald.
Some of the newcomers report they got bus fare to go south after being picked up by police in Salt Lake during drug sweeps around the shelter, Crane said.
"It's moving the problem," said Provo Police Chief John King. "The sense of civil disorder. It makes us feel uncomfortable."
Salt Lake police picked up dozens of people around the shelter this fall in sweeps called Operation Diversion designed to weed out drug dealers from users. Those believed to be selling were arrested, while users were directed toward treatment in what officials said was a new, more humane approach.
A spokesman for the Salt Lake City Police Department told the Associated Press that some people may have decided to shift south, but everyone picked up in the sweeps was dealt with locally, not sent out of town.
Salt Lake police detective Robert Ungricht says the department hasn't noticed a big decline in the homeless population.
Meanwhile, Provo social workers say they're bursting at the seams. Crane said the Food and Care Coalition has its first-ever waiting list for housing and has appealed to the state for more money for hotel vouchers and cold weather supplies.
Karen Hale with United Way of Utah County said she's also seen a recent spike in people who need mental health services, as well as food and housing. From September to January, the number of "high-need" clients grew 30 percent — from 67 to 87 people.
Last year, Utah County officials reported drops of almost 75 percent in the number of homeless people and households.
