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SALT LAKE CITY — Homeless advocates rallied at the Utah Capitol on Monday to call on the Utah Legislature to approve the proposed $150 million for housing initiatives in Gov. Spencer Cox's 2024 fiscal budget.
Officials from Crossroads Urban Center and its advocacy group Powerful Moms Who Care pointed to the growing impact of the housing crisis, inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic contributing to a rise in families who find themselves homeless or unsheltered.
"There are no overflow housing (options) for families. We have way too many families and kids on the streets and it's cold," said Misty Mulker, member of Powerful Moms Who Care, at the rally attended by a couple of dozen people. "It's a huge problem with the inflation of being what it is, everybody's struggling, but especially families and low-income families. They were already struggling so this was just the thing that took them over."
The number of families accessing shelter services rose 33% in the last year, according to Urban Crossroads Center. State and local officials have stated that homeless services are intended to make shelter stays short and nonrecurring but time spent in the shelter system has continued to rise.
"Really part of organizing this event was because we just wanted to have a little bit of pressure on the powers that be to create some type of plan for permanent supportive housing," event organizer Grace Cunningham said.
Utah state Sen. Luz Escamilla and Rep. Angela Romero attended the rally and expressed a commitment in the upcoming legislative session to approving the proposed $150 million in affordable housing.
"We have infrastructure happening with regards to that transitioning of housing for many of our families that are leaving the process of experiencing homelessness, but then they're back into a cycle that is not self-sufficient or supportive. We need to support them and that's why the supportive funding is critical," Escamilla said.
The rally also featured a diaper and formula drive for families in need, as well as a teddy bear drive for children experiencing homelessness. A musical performance was given by a woman playing Elsa from Disney's Frozen, singing "Let it Go" and another rendition with the words changed to "Give Kids Homes."
Other speakers included Pastor AJ Bush from the First United Methodist Church. Bush spoke about the Christmas season and reminded the group that the Nativity scene featured a family looking for shelter.
"We are in the season of Christmas, which at the heart of that story is an unsheltered family, a mother and a father with child who have no place to go," said Bush. "Today we are knocking on Gov. (Spencer) Cox's door, the Utah state Legislature's door saying, 'Let us in, let these families who are living on the street with nowhere to go in.'"
