Homeless people need permanent housing

By Marjorie Cortez
Deseret Morning News
Published: Monday, Aug. 15, 2005 9:45 p.m. MDT
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In Ogden, a new city ordinance prohibits hotels and motels from keeping guests more than three months in a one-year period.

Although the ban applies to all hotels and motels, the ordinance mostly targets SROs, single-room occupancy hotels. It also prohibits the construction of any new SROs. The City Council reportedly instituted the ban to counter the high number of police calls to SROs, which are primarily reports of domestic violence and drugs. Police say meth dealers seek out SROs to cook meth, which is hazardous to all who reside in there.

Ogden, like all cities, has limited municipal resources. It's understandable that police, city officials and members of the City Council want to find a means to save money and curb crime all at once.

But where are residents of these SROs supposed to go? Won't they take their issues wherever they happen to land? Won't that require police and community resources? What about children of families who live in SROs? Won't their schooling be disrupted every three months when their parents — by decree of city ordinance — have to pull up stakes?

Mind you, SROs aren't the solution to the issue of homelessness. In the absence of publicly supported transitional housing and permanent housing, homeless men, women and families seek out the best shelter they can afford. They can't get into apartments because they don't have the money for security and utility deposits, let alone the first and last month's rent. Some are excluded because they can't pass credit checks or they have criminal histories.

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What people who are down and out need most is a roof over their heads. That stability enables them to start to work on the issues that contributed to their homelessness — substance abuse, mental illness, physical illness, poor work skills, a lack of education or a combination of these issues. Imagine trying to stay focused on a job if you don't know where you'll be living three months from now.

It's hard to begrudge Ogden City for wanting to preserve its resources and revitalize its downtown. But the residents of SROs won't evaporate. Some may choose to rotate SROs every three months, if space is available. That seems rather futile. Others may become homeless, which can mean an even greater dependence on public resources. In Salt Lake County, for instance, the chronic homeless — about 12 percent of the homeless population in total — consume about 57 percent of the available resources.

The Salt Lake County Long Range Planning Committee is advocating a "housing-first" approach to address the county's chronic homeless population. With permanent housing as an anchor, homeless men, women and families would receive intensive case management. The committee — co-chaired by former Salt Lake Mayor Palmer DePaulis and Midvale Mayor JoAnn Seghini — wants to place the chronically homeless in subsidized homes throughout the county. Committee members believe the cost savings from this approach could be used in other aspects of aiding the homeless.

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