Feb. 19, 2021 — Truthfully, I thought that community organizations supporting the unsheltered population had gained the attention of civic leaders on the issue of homelessness within Salt Lake City limits. The City Council seemed genuinely responsive during public input periods of virtual council meetings. Abatements were being called out as cruel non-solutions. Discussions on building tiny homes were being pushed forward and genuine lifesaving options for permanent housing seemed to be a priority.
But, then the abatements continued, in spite of three consecutive days of forecasted winter storms, large camps were cleared.
Folks were pushed down the road, to set up on another block. There is nowhere near enough availability or considerations for couples and family members who are unwilling to separate from their partners due to safety concerns. There are many valid reasons that people are shelter avoidant, personal safety being a major one. Considering that we’re nearly a year deep into a pandemic communal living isn’t an ideal situation. Many folks feel safer on the street than in the systems designed to aid them.
The office of Mayor Mendenhall proudly announced a dashboard on SLC.gov where those who were most motivated to seek information could access the numbers of vacancies for the previous night in the available shelter options. These numbers weren’t updated on the first weekend during those storms. The bitter cold remains, and unshockingly the site declares just how few options there are for the unsheltered people of Salt Lake City. Thursday, Feb. 18, the highest availability was a 5% occupancy open at the men’s center, that’s 15 beds. The other two shelters have 1% occupancy available and the overflow was at 2% over capacity.
With this public knowledge, now would be a perfectly tone deaf time to implement the most rudimentary of aggressive architecture, right? Installing ugly jagged landscaping rocks all along the easement on the corner near the Geraldine E. King’s Women’s Center. Sure, the landscaping was paid for by the owner of the condemned property, but it is a literally and figuratively ugly addition to a hostile environment toward unsheltered people.
When community activism is at a high, and viable, sustainable projects which could provide long-term housing solutions with minimal investment are on the table, this is not the time for taunting people who are literally just trying to survive a brutal winter.
If it’s easy to ignore the problem, then you’re not close enough to the issue.