LaDonna Sidney, 48, enters her pod at the new state-sponsored “microshelter community,” located at 548 S. 700 West in Salt Lake City, on Sept. 30, 2024. (Katie McKellar / Utah News Dispatch)
With winter around the corner, state officials this weekend officially relocated and opened a new state-sponsored “microshelter community” on a parcel of publicly-owned land nestled beneath freeway overpasses in Salt Lake City.
The microshelters — or hard-shell pods built by the company Foldum that feature lockable doors, power outlets, and heating and air conditioning — can house up to 50 people experiencing homelessness, with two one-bed units in each of the 25 pods.
Last winter, Salt Lake City and state officials partnered to open the first microshelter community as a pilot project near 300 South and 600 West in downtown Salt Lake City. About two months ago, that location shut down in anticipation of the new microshelter location, and its homeless residents have stayed in either hotels or at a West Valley City winter overflow shelter while they waited for the new community to get up and running.