Op-ed: Moving shelter would waste money that could go to housing

In 2002, the Crusade for the Homeless Foundation in Salt Lake City turned its total effort to Housing First. Its founder was the late Jack Gallivan, publisher emeritus of The Salt Lake Tribune, who led the way in this first private-public effort to build homeless housing projects in Utah. Over the course of 10 years, by combining private, state, and federal funds, we were able to launch an aggressive Housing First campaign, which has gained national recognition for its remarkable success.

The players included the housing authorities of Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County, the state of Utah, Salt Lake City and HUD, plus private donors Crusade for the Homeless Foundation, the LDS Church and The George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation. By 2007, we had completed the initial Housing First project called Sunrise Metro — 100 units designated for chronically homeless people and related support services.

From that point on, this coalition of funders created 84 units at Grace Mary Manor, 59 units at Kelly Benson Apartments, 201 units at Palmer Court, 110 units at Freedom Landing for homeless veterans, 72 units at Valor House on the Utah Veterans Campus, and the Bud Bailey Apartments with 16 apartments designated for homeless tenants. This is a total of 642 units designated for chronically homeless people. We should refer to this effort as "Phase I" of the Housing First Campaign.

What has it meant? Read from the state of Utah's publication. Homeless in Utah, 2014: "Chronic Homelessness: 3.9 percent of the homeless population in Utah is experiencing chronic homelessness, defined by HUD as those experiencing homelessness for longer than one year or four episodes in three years and who have a disabling condition. Chronic homelessness increased by 44 persons, or 8.9 percent, from 2013, but has decreased by 72 percent, or 1,393 persons overall since 2005."

The cry now by business interests and housing developers is that the Road Home Shelter for the homeless has to be moved. But relocation of the shelter just moves the current problem of groups congregating to another neighborhood. The fact is many of those who are causing the problems do not use the shelter because of drug and alcohol problems. They will stay in the Pioneer Park area even if the shelter moves.

Policing of the area needs strong reinforcement. But the long-term solution is developing a Phase II of Housing First. Moving the shelter and the soup kitchen to another location does little, and the housing gap for chronically homeless people would remain. If we were to raise the same amount of capital in a Phase II program that we did in Phase I (approximately $55 million), in all probability it would cost less than moving the shelter and support facilities. And it would bring a much more meaningful long-term solution to the problem.

This approach is the most humane and offers the best opportunity for those citizens who are chronically homeless to have a home, which we consider to be a basic right for all of our citizens. Moving the shelter should not be the issue — creating housing for homeless citizens is the best answer.

Vaughn McDonald joined The Crusade for the Homeless Foundation in 2002 as its Executive Director. Mickey Gallivan is President of The Crusade for the Homeless, which in 2010 established the Jack Gallivan Endowment for Homeless Housing at The Road Home.