There’s more money than ever going into homelessness and addiction recovery in Utah right now. But that’s creating some new problems for treatment providers.
Over the past year, state and local governments in Utah pumped millions of dollars into law enforcement, sober housing and treatment. Tim Whalen with Salt Lake County Behavioral Health called it unprecedented.
“I’ve been with the county about 21 years and right now I think it’s the first time where we have more resources, dollars to pay for services than we have staff and capacity to provide them,” Whalen said. “It’s always been the opposite.”
Treatment provider Odyssey House needs therapists, case managers and prescribers to serve more clients. And Valley Behavioral Health and First Step House are recruiting for the same jobs.
“They’re really kind of bidding against each other,” Whalen said.
And there’s another problem. Volunteers of America needs more detox beds. With more access to long-term drug treatment, those are in high demand. There are usually about 30 people waiting for a bed. Utah’s Medicaid plan doesn’t cover detox unless it’s basically a medical emergency.
Amy Hodgson came to the VOA detox center last October when she crashed her car after drinking heavily.
“When I got here, it was to detox and then I found out, this isn’t such a bad place,” she said.
After Hodgson got clean, she started a treatment program, which will help her stay sober.
“So right now I have my own bed. I have a dresser. I get to go to class every day,” she said. “They are giving me the steps that I need to do to get out there and live on my own and not have to turn to the alcohol like I was doing.”
Tim Whalen said without treatment, clients walk out of detox and right back into the community. That’s where they’re vulnerable to relapse and overdose. Now that treatment is getting some attention, he said it’s time to get more detox beds online.
