Homeless Providers on the Frontlines of the Pandemic

Friday, May. 01, 2020

Over the course of the last few years, I have been increasingly enmeshed in homeless services across Salt Lake County. Time spent with service providers, government leaders, client advocates and many others has taught me so much more about the individualized causes of homelessness, the dignity of every person experiencing homelessness, and the commitment of those who serve the homeless every day.

Admittedly, my involvement typically is not on the ground level. I have served at the St. Vincent de Paul dining hall and walked the Miller Resource Center, but most of what I do is on the funding and policy levels. Thankfully, the discussions I participate in on a weekly, and now daily, basis are informed by those who do engage on the ground level of homeless services.

What I have learned through all of these meetings is not only that our providers are dedicated, compassionate professionals serving individuals with unique histories and experiences leading to and out of homelessness, but also that thousands of people in need are served through the wise and resourceful use of incredibly limited funding.

The last few weeks, just for example, I was part of reviewing the requests of 16 service providers to the State Homeless Coordinating Committee seeking state funding for a variety of much-needed projects to serve in Salt Lake County. These 16 providers – Catholic Community Services, The Road Home, First Step House, The Inn Between, Volunteers of America and Family Promise, among others – sought funding for projects that all who are engaged in homeless services understand are necessary components of a fully functioning services system.

Most of the projects that sought funding are ongoing. Together, the requests covered everything from preventing homelessness to providing permanent housing to end homelessness. The total funding request for 80 projects amounted to $24, 447,712.51. The majority of that money would have been used for desperately needed case managers across all types of projects, with salaries ranging from $17 to $22 per hour. To put that in perspective, the hourly wage needed in Salt Lake County to afford rent on a two-bedroom apartment currently is $18.30.

Providers in Salt Lake County were not the only ones seeking funding.  Statewide, 47 agencies sought funding for 175 projects, totaling $31,395,632.  

In the end, there was only about $19 million to go around. To spread limited dollars across as many projects as possible with sufficient funds to maintain the viability of each project, massive cuts were made to the requests. The State Homeless Coordinating Committee ended up allocating $15,206,419 to providers in Salt Lake County, funding 44 of the 80 projects.  

The final funding total provided much-needed resources to our emergency shelter programs and associated diversion across the county. However, there was nowhere near enough money to cover a substantial portion of our permanent supportive, transitional and rapid rehousing housing projects and medical respite. Providers across Salt Lake County are left to fill a $9,241,293 gap in funding for homeless services. 

Salt Lake County spent several years developing a system-wide model to address homelessness. This model requires substantial funding not only for emergency shelter, but all components of a successful Housing First system. Providers raise funds year-round, but few providers will be able to fill multi-million dollar gaps in funding for programs that already run on bare-bones budgets. With so many people out of work and financially unstable, the millions of dollars in deficits will be even more difficult for providers to overcome.  

Our Gospel calls each of us to care for the most vulnerable. At this moment, few are more vulnerable than our homeless population, which includes 205 identified individuals over the age of 60, many more with underlying health conditions, and resource centers that have been forced to limit access due to the spread of COVID-19. If you can give, please give generously to our homeless services providers. They, too, are on the frontlines of the pandemic and need our support more than ever.