In the early 80’s shelter projects would come and go with sketchy funding. At one time we actually had people staying in tents in the backyard. Steve Holbrook, a former Utah Legislator, was working here in 1984-85. He wanted to come up with a permanent solution to the need for emergency shelter. The report was a product of the Task Force for the Appropriate Treatment of the Homeless Mentally Ill, which was the group Holbrook created with funding from the Police Chiefs Association (or whatever they were called — this is probably in the report). They interviewed people on the street and made the case for better services. This led to the creation of what became the Road Home. Steve left Crossroads, but started raising the $3 million that was used to buy property and create the shelter we have now. There was also a lot of thinking abut co-locating services in the neighborhood. St. Vincent’s was built first, then the RH, and finally 4th St. clinic. Mayor Palmer DePaulis was a key leader in this effort.
| homelessness_in_utah_report.pdf |
