More Utahns are experiencing homelessness this year compared to last, and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall is calling on state leaders to address the growing problem.
“The reality is this is a humanitarian crisis,” she said from the steps of the City and County Building.
The 18% increase comes from the annual Point-in-Time count, which tallies the number of individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. This year, 4,584 Utahns were counted, and the percentages of children, seniors and veterans all saw an uptick.
The number of Utahns who experience chronic homelessness also increased 36% over last year.
In her Aug. 13 press conference on the report, Mendenhall said she is concerned about these upward trends. Moreover, she again said she is concerned by the Legislature’s failure to address homelessness. This year’s data, according to the mayor, is a cry for more attention at the state level.
“Salt Lake City is doing everything in our power to improve the pieces of the system that we control, but those pieces are limited,” she said.
The rate of homelessness in Utah is now 13 per 10,000 people, up from 11 per 10,000 in the last count. That rate is still below the 2024 national rate of 23 per 10,000 people.
In January, the capital city rolled out a plan to increase public safety and address homelessness at the request of legislative leadership. While some of the suggested actions have been met, Mendenhall said state funding has fallen short. That has stalled some of the city’s plans, including the development of a 1,200-bed shelter.
“There are no wheels on the bus that we present unless the state moves us forward,” she said. “We must see action from legislative leadership and our governor to create the change that we know is not only possible, but is desperately needed.”
Simply increasing law enforcement isn’t solving the problem, the mayor said. On top of that, the state must meet demands for mental health treatment, social services, shelter space and affordable housing to get people off the streets.
Glenn Bailey, executive director of Crossroads Urban Center, a nonprofit organization helping Utahns meet their basic needs, said it takes partnership between all levels of government to address homelessness. He said Salt Lake City has stepped up its efforts, but the state has the power to make improvements.
“It's a problem that needs to be addressed with adequate resources at a variety of levels,” Bailey said. “And until it is, talking about changing philosophies and all that is just rearranging resources and not expanding them, and we're not going to get different results.”
There’s too much focus on getting individuals experiencing homelessness off the streets and out of sight, he said, rather than solving the root of the crisis.
In a statement, Gov. Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz urged Mayor Mendenhall to “turn down the politics” and work with the state to find solutions.
“We’ve been encouraged by recent efforts made by Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd to improve public safety, but it’s frustrating to continuously take one step forward and two steps back with Salt Lake City,” the Republicans said. “The city needs to stay focused on its core responsibility of protecting its citizens, keeping streets safe and clean and making our capital a place Utahns can be proud of and visitors want to experience.”
“Our citizens expect results, not fingerpointing,” the statement concluded.
