Homeless people in Salt Lake City will be able to access emergency shelter, meals and other services at The Road Home this winter, even if they don’t sign up for the state’s new homeless identification card.
Salt Lake City residents told Mayor Jackie Biskupski earlier this week they were worried the new ID cards would prevent people from accessing overnight shelter when the temperatures drop. The Department of Workforce Services says it won’t.
While homeless people can still get into The Road Home, starting next week, they’ll need the ID to access a new so-called safe space. That’s a fenced off area on Rio Grande Street between The Road Home and Catholic Community Services. The area will have restrooms, hand-washing stations as well as police presence and security cameras. It’s all meant to keep criminals at bay.
The card will also be required to get services at the Weigand Resource Center, but that organization already requires a special ID.
State and local leaders created the safe space when they started Operation Rio Grande this summer to crack down on crime and drugs in the downtown Salt Lake City neighborhood.
