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The dangerous chaos surrounding The Road Home shelter downtown makes House Speaker Greg Hughes mad.
"I'm just pissed," he said Monday evening at a town hall meeting addressing the challenges faced by homeless people and the surrounding community.
Hughes' comments followed a firsthand account of drug dealing and violence near the shelter where families with children also find themselves.
"This is not a Salt Lake City or Salt Lake County problem," he told about 100 people gathered at the South City Campus of Salt Lake Community College. "This is a state problem."
The Legislature allocated $9.2 million last year to tackle the problem. The city and county are asking for a similar amount this year and plan to do the same next year for new shelters and improved services.
Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski said that other cities should step up to the challenge.
"We are doing our part and are moving forward as fast as we can," she said. "But we need other partners around the state as well."
The challenges surrounding homelessness include mental illness and drug addiction.
Last fall, the city and county initiated Operation Diversion, aimed at jailing drug dealers and getting treatment for addicts and people who suffer from mental illness.
The program has been fairly successful, according to a recent report. But the motivating factor for those who didn't choose treatment was jail.
Biskupski said the jail beds are all full, making the program less effective. Further, drug users and dealers know that if they're arrested, they won't go to jail.
"We need a tool to hold people accountable," she said. "When they have an option for a jail bed or a treatment bed, they often choose treatment."
Hughes said he is working with Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, to fund 300 beds at county jails that would free up beds in Salt Lake County Jail.
"We want to help law enforcement to arrest the wolves that are preying on people," Hughes said.
Jailing addicts and the mentally ill is not only inhuman, Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams said, but very expensive.
Jail beds are important, he said, but having them without treatment beds would mean warehousing addicts and the mentally ill.
"A treatment bed is a toothless offer if there isn't jail beds to reinforce the program," he conceded.
McAdams said the Legislature should also increase funding for treatment.
Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, said overcoming addiction is difficult and requires time.
"They are going to fall down and we have to pick them up," she said. "They will fall down again and we will have to pick them up again."
She added, however, that prevention is easier than treating addiction.
Beyond that, she said, many homeless people are not drug users but seem to be invisible; they have lost their homes after losing jobs, escaping domestic violence, aging out of foster care and other reasons.
"We should not stereotype these [homeless] individuals," she said. "Let's put a human face on this and recognize they are people like us, who need a safe place to live."
McAdams said the current effort will be more sophisticated than what has been practiced for decades. He asked the public for patience.
"As we learn more," McAdams said, "our approach will evolve."