This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

What to do about Salt Lake City's homeless problem is something that could be — has been — talked about forever. This is an example of a situation where what gets done may not be as important as that something credible gets done. Settle on an approach, and get moving.

That's what this feels like.

Perfect? Probably not. Way past time to get something done? For sure.

— At last, a plan to help Salt Lake City's homeless — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial

"Fool: The reason why the seven stars are no more than seven is a pretty reason.

"Lear: Because they are not eight?

"— King Lear

"At last we have a plan.

"Decades of human suffering and valiant, if often vain, attempts to ease it. Years of political wrangling. A little too much secrecy. And two more years, at least, before the four new homeless resource centers on sites announced Tuesday by Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski will be open.

"But news that the mayor, the City Council and various community leaders who have studied the issue are now moving forward with a plan to replace the overwhelmed Road Home homeless shelter in the city's Rio Grande district is to be welcomed by all concerned. ..."

— Salt Lake City leaders say decision on homeless shelter sites set in concrete — Christopher Smart and Benjamin Wood | The Salt Lake Tribune

"The decision is final. There is no going back, whether residents and businesses like it or not.

"Mayor Jackie Biskupski and the City Council on Tuesday announced locations in Salt Lake City as the future sites of four 150-bed homeless shelters that also would serve as resource centers for their clients.

"They are: 653 E. Simpson Ave. (2300 South), 275 W. High Ave. (1400 South), 131 E. 700 South, 648 W. 100 South. ..."

— Here is a look at the four Salt Lake City shelter sites — Nate Carlisle and Benjamin Wood | The Salt Lake Tribune

— Road Home shelter on Rio Grande slated for closure, which would effectively reduce shelter beds by 500 — Matthew Piper and Christopher Smart | The Salt Lake Tribune

" [Salt Lake County Mayor Ben] McAdams said he expects a simultaneous drawdown in beds at The Road Home equal to new beds that come open at the four sites.

" 'There's a difference between closing the facility and reducing the demand for the facility to the point where it can be closed,' he said. 'One thing that I think we need to be cautious of is we can't close a facility and send hundreds of people to the street. We have to have a place for them.'...

" ... Former Mayor Rocky Anderson said Tuesday that such a construct paints 'a very rosy scenario.'..."

— The Road Home's Message about the New Resource Centers — The Road Home

" ... Salt Lake City will always need a crisis response system, and that system will be focused on ending homelessness as quickly as possible. The new Resource Centers will be central to that effort. With a significant investment in a variety of affordable and supportive housing and the creation of a pathway to access that housing, together we can change our service delivery in Salt Lake. ..."

— Homeless Resource Centers — Mayor Jackie Biskupski's website

— Homeless Site Evaluation Commission — City website

— Resource Center FAQ — City website

"By definition these are emergency shelters, but the City is calling them resource centers because this is an improvement to the old emergency shelter model. The centers will provide a variety of services geared towards stabilization and transitioning the client into housing."

— Homelessness in SLC — City Council website

Meanwhile:

— Vigil commemorates 97 people who died in Utah after experiencing homelessness — Courtney Tanner | The Salt Lake Tribune