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SALT LAKE CITY — After freezing nearly all of the Road Home's annual funds after a state audit found widespread drug use and lack of security inside its downtown homeless shelter, state officials have decided to release the rest of its funds, totaling more than $3.7 million.
The State Homeless Coordinating Committee voted Wednesday to grant the Road Home the remainder of its $4.5 million request after hearing from shelter officials about changes that have been made to increase safety and security inside both the downtown and Midvale family shelters.
On top of that, the state committee also voted to approve an additional $1.4 million to help fund the Road Home's "safety and security plan" it proposed to implement in response to the legislative audit.
Changes inside the Road Home include a revised procedure and retraining of employees for bag checks and check-in processes, installing a walk-through metal detector, a two-week pilot program in partnership with the Department of Public Safety and Salt Lake City police to test the efficacy of the new processes, and sweeps with drug- and weapon-sniffing dogs, Matt Minkevitch, executive director of the Road Home, reported to the committee.
Other changes are also planned, including the installation of metal detectors in the Midvale shelter.
"We want to make sure while we're making all those strides that we maintain our integrity for best practices, which involve a housing-first approach, trauma-informed care, and also making sure that we provide access for people who are in great need," Minkevitch said. "That is often referred to as low-barrier shelter."
"What low-barrier shelter isn't is not someplace without rules or any expectations," Minkevitch continued. "What low-barrier shelter is is a welcoming (place) that respects people's security and (helps) those who are in greatest need to have access to the shelter. We want to make sure our environment is comfortable, safe, equitable and accessible."
Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, a member of the state committee and a board member of Shelter the Homeless, the owner of the property that houses the Road Home's downtown shelter, was one of the loudest voices of concern when the state audit was released in May, calling the audit "damning" and demanding immediate action.
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McAdams also secretly spent a night in the downtown shelter last summer, where he said he felt "unsafe" and witnessed blatant drug use and violence inside the men's dorms.
McAdams on Wednesday, before motioning to approve the rest of the Road Home's funding, praised the Road Home for taking action, though he noted progress still needs to be made.
"I think we've made incredible strides," McAdams said, adding that while "I don't think anybody is opposed to the notion of low-barrier shelter," that "doesn't mean we have absolute tolerance of anything."
"Maybe for too long we tolerated too much," McAdams continued, noting that he's met "too many people who say they're homeless and need services but refuse to go to the Road Home because they don't feel safe."
McAdams also urged Minkevitch to continue exploring ways to have "some rules and standards in place" for an "array" of consequences to rule violations to avoid simply evicting homeless clients for all rule violations.
This story will be updated.