After all, she says she has seen a lot of progress during the last decade in Ogden's efforts to revive its central city, once wracked by high unemployment, deteriorating homes, low school-graduation rates and increasing crime.

A turning point, she says, came in 1994, when the Clinton administration designated Ogden as the Intermountain West's only Enterprise Community. This created a 10-year, $2.95 million urban-renewal project, which allowed the city to work with the Ogden School District, Weber State University and a multitude of nonprofits to leverage that cash into $60 million worth of projects.

"Things are absolutely on the rise," says Thurber, coordinator of the city's Enterprise Initiative since it startedÂ.

She ticks off the community's accomplishments: Six Boys and Girls Clubs have been created, along with regular health and job fairs for low-income residents. Participation in after-school and summer programs has increased four-fold. Hundreds of new central-city homes have been built or renovated, and an Own-in-Ogden program has helped more than 1,000 home buyers make down payments and pay closing costs. A trust fund has also been set up to help agencies care for the homeless. A Weed and Seed program, designed to reduce crime in central neighborhoods, has joined with a program to give neighborhoods 3,600 porch lights. The food bank in west Ogden got a much-needed expansion.

Ogden's crime and poverty rates have improved, although each remains among Utah's highest.

While there has been much good news, those who work daily with the poor say the challenges are still mounting.

Because of abundant low-cost housing, Ogden has been a magnet for Latino immigrants struggling to gain a foothold. Many move once they have jobs and security, which does not help the schools' whopping 33 percent annual student turnover.

"We don't see it getting any better," says Lisa Nichols, director of the Midtown Community Health Center, which is about to move into a new, larger clinic. Demand for free health care has more than tripled since 1998, she says.

"There's a lot happening in Ogden. Sometimes, that results in more low-wage jobs without benefits," Nichols says.

Don Carpenter, director of the Ogden-Weber Community Action Partnership (CAP), says the number of children in Head Start programs has nearly doubled to 703 in the past five years - and 300 more are on the waiting list.

When parents drop off their children, they often pick up free food at CAP.

"There is a never-ending line of people needing assistance," Carpenter says.

kmoulton@sltrib.com