This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Only about half the homeless people in the Rio Grande neighborhood call themselves native Utahns, while almost two-thirds of the homeless singles in the area have been to jail or prison.
Those are among the findings of an assessment made by Salt Lake County and the Collective Impact Steering Committee in November. The data are based on 586 interviews of 15 to 20 minutes in length, each made by 30 volunteers in one day.
The information gleaned reveals a complex picture of homelessness. Nevertheless, some factors and categories stand out. Many of the respondents had been arrested and jailed. More than a third say they had been assaulted. And 30 percent of respondents say they have behavioral health disorders.
Of the total surveyed, 69 percent resided at The Road Home shelter, 21 percent lived outdoors in that area, 7 percent stayed elsewhere and 3 percent did not respond.
Residents and business owners have long complained that the Rio Grande area is crime-ridden and dangerous. The assessment bears that out to some degree.
Some 30 percent of the respondents reported they had been in jail in the past six months. Of those living outdoors, 80 percent had been arrested and 66 percent had been to jail or prison, according to the assessment.
It is clear, said Shaleane Gee, special projects coordinator for the county, that there is "tremendous overlap" between the criminal-justice system and homeless services.
"What it means to us is we are using our criminal-justice system to treat behavioral health issues," she said. "We have to get a grip on criminal-justice reform and behavioral health care."
Many observers have identified mental illness and drug addiction as factors leading to homelessness and keeping people from finding housing.
Thirty percent of those interviewed were identified with "behavioral health disorders." Of that group, 42 percent said they were taking medication. Sixty-four percent said they are unemployed, and 18 percent said they can't work.
Most notably, 94 percent in that category said they had been arrested and 90 percent had gone to jail or prison.
Housing and employment are the biggest challenges for the respondents who had been in jail or prison. Seventy-two percent of those who had been in jail or prison said they are unemployed; another 12 percent said they are disabled and can't work.
It is difficult for homeless people with criminal records to find employment and housing, Gee said.
Legal issues were the biggest challenge to finding housing for about a third of the respondents. Mental issues were identified by 20 percent as the most significant barrier, with physical disability the primary issue for 21 percent. Only 17 percent said drugs and alcohol kept them homeless.
The data were gathered to better understand the needs of people seeking homeless services, Gee said, so that future resources and services can be more effectively allocated.
The assessment was limited to people in and around The Road Home shelter and Rio Grande neighborhood and was not designed to determine how many homeless people live in Salt Lake City. An annual point-in-time count required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in January attempts to take a census of all the homeless in the state.
Of those surveyed in November, 76 percent were male and 24 percent were female.
Critics have complained about nonresidents seeking services in Salt Lake City. The new data add some strength to that view. Thirty-four percent of those surveyed were from other Western states and 12 percent were from other regions of the country.
When asked why they moved to Salt Lake City, a third said they had family or friends here, while 19 percent said "to start over/for a better life," 12 percent came for job opportunities, 7 percent for the low cost of living, and 17 percent answered "other."
More than half the respondents had a high school diploma, GED or some college.
The vast majority were ages 19 to 60 — normally, the prime years of employment. But some 64 percent are unemployed and another 22 percent said they are unable to work.
Fifteen percent were 61 and older, 36 percent were 46 to 60 years of age, 34 percent were 19 to 45. About 11 percent were 18 or younger. Four percent did not respond.
A significant group of the homeless population is made up of women and their children.
Of the respondents, more than a quarter were families. Thirty percent of the families had three or more children. Fifty-seven percent of the families said a "bad relationship" had led to their homelessness. The assessment did not specify which families had one or two parents or whether the head of household was male or female.
A fourth of those interviewed were single women. Of them, 79 percent said they did not feel safe seeking services in Salt Lake City. Two-thirds of the women said they have been arrested; 52 percent had gone to jail or prison.
The largest category of respondents — 72 percent — is single men. Three-quarters of them had been arrested and 62 percent had gone to jail.
The data, Gee said, will help better align and integrate homeless, criminal-justice and behavioral services.