Crossroads Urban Center is calling for the creation of more shelter and housing options for homeless families in Salt Lake County. They’re releasing a Wednesday that shows the county’s existing services for homeless families are struggling to keep up with demand.
Glenn Bailey is Executive Director of Crossroads Urban Center. He’s worried that the county’s plan to build three new homeless shelters does not include any additional space for families. This, he says despite the fact that the current family shelter in Midvale is consistently full. In 2016, Salt Lake County turned the Midvale center into a year-round family shelter.
The county plans to build a mens shelter in South Salt Lake, a women’s facility, just off State Street and 700 south and one serving a mix of men and women near Smith’s Ballpark.
Bailey said Crossroads interviewed moms experiencing homelessness to get a better sense of the barriers facing homeless families. He says the evidence shows if more shelter and housing options are not created, the conditions will get worse.
The Road Home says the family shelter is in fact at capacity-pointing out that 65-70 families will stay in motels tonight.
