The Diocese of Salt Lake City has been grateful for the coordinated efforts of state and local governments and service providers to improve our response to homelessness. One of the seemingly small but critical outcomes of these efforts has been an emphasis on tearing down stereotypes of a “homeless population” that can be served as a homogenous group.
Through our long history of serving people experiencing homelessness and other crises, we have a deep understanding of the danger of assuming that people who are homeless are criminals, or that people are homeless because they are mentally ill.
Homelessness is complex and individual. There is no one cause and no one solution. Individuals have many reasons for needing help, often stemming from economic hardship, family displacement and cycles of poverty. History of trauma and abuse is common among our clients, and some, but by no means all, struggle with substance use and mental health.
Some are homeless because of a series of unfortunate events beyond their control. Their needs — like the needs of all human beings — are physical, emotional, mental, financial and spiritual, and transcend the ability of one service provider to solve alone.
Utah’s homeless service providers across the spectrum are committed to serving their clients. No provider wants to create needless barriers to people in need. But sometimes practices designed to protect individuals suffering from one set of circumstances may create barriers to others. When this happens, all stakeholders strive to ensure standards of care and best practice are followed.
Rules and policies that reinforce those standards and best practices help us all. Providers know from experience that these are not barriers, but pathways to success. They keep weapons, drugs and predators out of our facilities. They promote recovery by creating a space for clients that is free from violence, fear and the behaviors they are seeking to escape or change. When we create a culture in which everyone respects each other and the standards of care, we recognize and promote human dignity. Most important, clients are safe and supported in environments that make it more likely for them to move out of homelessness into stability.
Setting and adhering to standards is not easy. It’s hard to tell a client addicted to substance use that they can’t bring drugs inside our facility. It’s hard to ask someone who has a history of physically threatening other people to leave. While these are hard conversations to have, having them is part of our mission to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone who enters our doors.
If we focus on expectations rather than punishment, we can help individuals who are often treated as criminals feel valued. If the expectations are reasonable, transparent, consistently and proportionately applied and established with client input, we can address situations of risk in a manner that promotes respect, responsibility and safety for all.
As partners in an evolving homeless service provider system, we are committed to the safety of our clients. We can continue to keep our service facilities safe and welcoming to all who need them. Doing so recognizes that every person experiencing homelessness is an individual, equally deserving of respect and a life of dignity. Providing assistance in a safe environment to help each person move out of crisis is the compassionate thing to do, and it is an outcome that our community of providers continues to prioritize.
Jean Hill is the government liaison for the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City.