Utah has never shied away from hard problems. Whether it’s education, air quality or economic growth, our instinct is to come together, look at the data and find a solution that’s both compassionate and accountable. Homelessness should be no different. For too long, our efforts have been shaped by systems instead of by people. We count beds, budgets and case files, but what truly changes a life is a plan that supports a person, not a program.
Across Utah, we see women, men and children cycling through shelters, hospitals and jails, not because they can’t change, but because their path forward isn’t coordinated. An individual might be asked to engage with five or six different agencies in a single month: one focused on housing, another on health, another on employment, each operating in isolation from the others. Everyone is trying to help, but without a shared, individualized plan, that help is fragmented. We have compassion; what we need is connection and collaboration.
In communities where that connection exists, the results speak for themselves. Outreach teams are beginning to support individuals holistically, as individuals with goals, histories and actionable next steps. When service providers align around a shared plan, progress accelerates. The data is clear: People move into stable housing faster, stay housed longer and rely less on emergency services. It’s simple efficiency.
A coordinated plan costs less and works better than crisis response. The principle is straightforward: If we expect people to rebuild their lives, we owe them a system that’s built to recognize their lives. That means assessing needs holistically — housing, health, employment, mental wellness, community — and mapping out measurable goals. It also means assigning clear accountability on both sides: The individual commits to the plan, and the community commits to supporting it. That is structure with purpose.
This kind of individualized care isn’t new, but Utah is positioned to lead in making it standard practice. We have the ingredients: data systems that track individual progress; a culture that values personal responsibility and community support; and partnerships between government, business and philanthropy that make alignment possible. The Utah Impact Partnership is one example of what happens when those forces combine, with collective funding and shared data driving measurable outcomes. It’s not bureaucracy; it’s results-based coordination, the same logic we apply effectively in so many other domains, applied to human dignity, recovery and well-being.
And the benefits extend far beyond moral obligation. Without individualized plans, we spend millions reacting to the same crises over and over — hospital readmissions, police calls, emergency shelter nights. A single person in chronic homelessness can cost the system tens of thousands of dollars a year. With a tailored plan and consistent follow-through, those costs drop dramatically. The taxpayer value is clear: intentional, coordinated care saves money and delivers better outcomes.
However, the case for individualized care extends beyond dollars. It restores dignity. When someone can point to a plan that has their name on it, when they can track their progress and know someone is supporting and tracking it with them, hope becomes tangible. Success is no longer abstract. It’s documented, shared and celebrated. That’s how confidence grows. That’s how self-sufficiency begins.
Making individualized care plans the expectation, not the exception, would put Utah once again at the forefront of national innovation. It would shift us from measuring outputs to measuring outcomes, from serving programs to serving people. In the end, this isn’t just about policy. It’s about who we are. Utah’s success has always been built on the belief that every individual, when seen and supported, can do remarkable things. It’s time our systems showed that same faith in each person.