Proposed Facility for Homeless People Raises Concerns About Coercion, Control and a Shift Away from Evidence-Based Care
Lawmakers in Utah took steps to make the state’s proposed detention center for people experiencing chronic homelessness a reality during the most recent legislative session.
Last year, state officials unveiled plans for a 1,300-bed homeless services campuslocated on roughly 16 acres of land outside of Salt Lake City. The campus includes 300 beds for people who were involuntarily committed, and a bevy of services ranging from health care to reemployment and mental health services. Advocates have claimed that the facility would act more like a jail than a homeless shelter.
The plan faced bipartisan pushback during Utah’s 120-day legislative session. Democrats authored bills that would bring more transparency to the process, requiring the state to submit a comprehensive plan before approving plans to build the shelter and adding ways for people who live in the shelter to hold shelter workers accountable for complaints and living conditions. Some Republicans pushed back on the campus idea due to its potential impact on the Great Salt Lake…