Utah’s homeless services have evolved and improved over the years. I’m old enough to remember when little attention was paid to homeless problems. Many people suffered with little help.
Then homelessness became mostly a local government matter. In the last few years, the state has stepped in with needed support. New homeless resource centers have been built, many individuals and families have been helped, and crime has been reduced in the Rio Grande area.
But services have still been fragmented, varying greatly in different cities and regions. Collaboration has been insufficient among a variety of state, city and county agencies and private philanthropic efforts. And funding for homeless services has been inconsistent without comprehensive planning and coordination.
To better serve the homeless people in our state, to make homelessness “rare, brief and non-recurring,” the Legislature and philanthropic community asked The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah to provide an in-depth assessment of the governance structure and funding model for homeless services.
After a comprehensive and collaborative study, with help from a 29-member advisory group, the Gardner Institute made six recommendations to create a simpler, more transparent and better coordinated system for homeless services. The recommendations have been widely endorsed by policymakers at all levels to create a system that will be more effective, efficient and improve alignment between public and private efforts.
I believe these recommendations are excellent and should be implemented. They will help many of our fellow citizens overcome the challenges of homelessness and make progress in their lives.
Chief among the recommendations is to create accountability by appointing a Utah Homeless Services Officer and creating a Utah Homeless Council. These would be housed within the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget.
The Homeless Services Officer would act as the executive director of the Homeless Council and be charged with leading the state’s overall response to and coordination of homeless services. The Homeless Council would serve as the state’s coordinating and decision-making body for homelessness. It would replace the existing State Homeless Coordinating Council.
Members of the Homeless Council would include representatives of counties, cities, several state agencies, the Legislature, faith-based organizations, education and a philanthropic consortium.
Homeless services would still be provided from the bottom up. Planning and funding would start with local service providers and agencies creating their own homeless plans with budgets and funding sources. Local homeless councils would create consolidated plans inclusive of the local providers plans. A step above that, consolidated regional homelessness plans would be created with budgets and funding sources, incorporating the local plans.
From the regional plans, a statewide consolidated homelessness plan would be developed, which would be reviewed and approved by the Utah Homeless Council. Unfunded needs at local and regional levels would be identified and coordinated with state resources and private donors to secure gap funding.
Funding requests from the Homeless Council would be submitted to the governor and Legislature for consideration. Public funding would be coordinated with private philanthropic funding to avoid duplication and better target needs and to ensure accountability.
Gov.-elect Spencer Cox has been very supportive of homeless initiatives. I encourage him and the Legislature to adopt and implement the recommendations of the Gardner Institute report and support this comprehensive initiative with adequate funding.
This is the state’s first comprehensive, statewide plan to combat homelessness. I believe it provides an excellent opportunity to improve homeless services and engage the private, philanthropic community in a meaningful, coordinated way.
I believe this plan strikes the right balance, providing support for people who really need it, while being wise and careful with tax dollars and philanthropic funding. It deals holistically with homelessness, addressing housing, mental health, law enforcement and emergency shelter. Let’s implement this plan to reach the goal of making homelessness “rare, brief and non-recurring.”
A. Scott Anderson is CEO and president of Zions Bank.