by Bill Tibbitts, Director of the Coalition of Religious Communities
This weekend 36 congregations from Price to Ogden are including prayers and/or collecting diapers for homeless children during their worship services. Why are so many people concerned about homeless children in Utah?
In Salt Lake County the answer is clear. The homeless shelter for homeless families with children is completely full. Programs that provide temporary rental assistance for families are close to their maximum capacity. We are rapidly approaching the day when our existing programs the ensure children have a place to sleep indoors will no longer be enough to meet the need.
The big reason short term rental programs are not working as well as they did in the past is that Utah has a severe, and growing, housing crisis. The Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce recently declared that housing affordability is Utah's biggest unaddressed economic risk because, for the first time in 40 years, there are more households than available housing units in our state. This shortage of housing is driving up prices. Between 2005 and 2015 the number of apartments that are affordable to low income families declined by 12,482 in the Salt Lake City metro area. Low income families are being priced out of the housing market in many other parts of the state also.
This growing housing crisis is the reason that 1,966 Utah families with children received homeless services in Utah during 2016. Studies show that homeless children are two times as likely to have learning disabilities and three times as likely to have an emotional disturbance as children who are not homeless. One half of homeless students are held back for one grade. Twenty-two percent of homeless students are held back for multiple grades.
This is why so many faith communities are participating in Ending Child Homelessness Sabbath this weekend. It is also why many of those congregations are sending messages supporting homeless children to the Capitol next week to present to a representative from the Governor's Office at Faith & Poverty Day. The goal of Faith & Poverty Day is to challenge legislators to take big actions to address the housing crisis and reduce the economic insecurity of low income families.
Everyone is welcome. I hope to see you there!
This weekend 36 congregations from Price to Ogden are including prayers and/or collecting diapers for homeless children during their worship services. Why are so many people concerned about homeless children in Utah?
In Salt Lake County the answer is clear. The homeless shelter for homeless families with children is completely full. Programs that provide temporary rental assistance for families are close to their maximum capacity. We are rapidly approaching the day when our existing programs the ensure children have a place to sleep indoors will no longer be enough to meet the need.
The big reason short term rental programs are not working as well as they did in the past is that Utah has a severe, and growing, housing crisis. The Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce recently declared that housing affordability is Utah's biggest unaddressed economic risk because, for the first time in 40 years, there are more households than available housing units in our state. This shortage of housing is driving up prices. Between 2005 and 2015 the number of apartments that are affordable to low income families declined by 12,482 in the Salt Lake City metro area. Low income families are being priced out of the housing market in many other parts of the state also.
This growing housing crisis is the reason that 1,966 Utah families with children received homeless services in Utah during 2016. Studies show that homeless children are two times as likely to have learning disabilities and three times as likely to have an emotional disturbance as children who are not homeless. One half of homeless students are held back for one grade. Twenty-two percent of homeless students are held back for multiple grades.
This is why so many faith communities are participating in Ending Child Homelessness Sabbath this weekend. It is also why many of those congregations are sending messages supporting homeless children to the Capitol next week to present to a representative from the Governor's Office at Faith & Poverty Day. The goal of Faith & Poverty Day is to challenge legislators to take big actions to address the housing crisis and reduce the economic insecurity of low income families.
Everyone is welcome. I hope to see you there!
