SLC leaders tell frustrated Gateway community police response isn’t best way to solve homeless problem

Officials announced new solutions to conflicts involving Salt Lake City’s unsheltered community near The Gateway mall in a town hall Thursday afternoon.

The solutions — presented by Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown, Salt Lake City Director of Homeless Policy and Outreach Andrew Johnston and State Homeless Coordinator Wayne Niederhauser — ranged from police-specific strategies to high-level policies aimed to alleviate the state’s housing crisis.

The focus of the meeting was on solutions that didn’t involve law enforcement or courts, since that route can end up having a revolving door effect on unsheltered individuals who are picked up for camping, taken to jail, and end up back on the streets within hours, officials said.

Johnston said he focused on solutions with a “housing first” mindset, since communities that spend resources on housing, resource centers and homeless services tend to be more effective in reducing homelessness. The state Office of Homeless Services has been allocating funds to this approach — with ongoing housing grants for low-income individuals, more funds for shelter operations and over $100 million invested in “deeply affordable housing.”

But the state Legislature’s $55 million allocation last year and $50 million this year for housing was much less than Gov. Spencer Cox’s administration asked for — and the governor called for $100 million this year.

Instead, residents are also paying the price when state funds fall short, some said Thursday. Westgate Lofts resident John Maz said his area’s homeowner association — which includes 73 units in the Rio Grande community — is on pace to spend $100,000 “directly related to vandalism and security issues for our building” resulting from shelters.

These costs, Maz said, include a new security camera system, repairing broken windows, cleaning up graffiti and repairing the building’s security system.

“We’re accumulating all these costs, and it’s going to become a financial issue for our buildings to foot these bills,” Maz said. “Chief [Brown] mentioned all these protocols that are going to be put in place — it’s taking too long, and I know that you can only do so much ... all these policies sound great for long term, but we’re not getting any instant alleviation for the citizens of the community.”

Mendenhall cited police collaboration with security teams in The Gateway area and additional reporting mechanisms — like the SLC Mobile app — as some additional short-term ways the city is working to address issues like Maz’s.

But for short-term solutions that aren’t just a few hours in a jail cell for a misdemeanor crime, Mendenhall said agencies like the district attorney’s office, emergency rooms and the police need to work more closely together with the unhoused community.

“Ultimately, those folks need a bed in a room and supportive services that are there every single day they wake up. And right now that does not exist,” Mendenhall said. “I‘m not going to sit here and tell you, ‘Yes, we’re going to flush the area with police and everything’s going to be better for you.’ Because they will move across the block, they’ll move two blocks away. And that doesn’t solve the [problem].”

Mendenhall urged community members to download the SLC Mobile app to report issues like graffiti, broken street signs and individuals sleeping in public areas — since the more data the city has available, the more data officials can bring to the Legislature to request more aid.

“The tens of thousands of dollar increases that you as a resident are shouldering are because of the lack of funding for the system that should exist, that Wayne is working so hard to get state funding to support,” Mendenhall said. “Our skyrocketing $55 million in the last three years for affordable housing is a drop in the bucket to what the state is able to do and what they’re just beginning to do. But those costs shouldn’t fall to you. It’s not fair.”