Politics & Government
State approves Utah County’s Winter Response Plan for cold weather homeless services
While it isn’t quite fall yet, winter will be here shortly. Winter months bring joy to those participating in snow sports and the holiday season, but cold temperatures can be grueling for unsheltered individuals.
A new Utah state law required counties with higher populations, including Salt Lake, Utah Davis, Weber and Washington, to submit a “Winter Response Plan” by August 1, 2024. The plan must include a warming center each night between Oct 15 and April 30 to provide shelter for homeless individuals. Utah County is required to have space for up to 75 people nightly.
Utah and Washington Counties are the only counties in the state that have received approval for Winter Response Plans thus far. Members of Utah County’s task force who created and will administer the program include County Commissioner Brandon Gordon (Chair), Provo Deputy Mayor Issac Paxman, Cedar Hills Mayor Denise Andersen, Vineyard Mayor Julie Fullmer, Lehi Mayor Mark Johnson, Spanish Fork Mayor Mike Mendenhall and Springville Mayor Matt Packard.
Utah County will use a rotating warming center location schedule similar to last year’s pilot program. The centers will be at The Genesis Project in Provo on Monday and Tuesday, the Utah County Red Building on Wednesday and Friday through Sunday, and the Provo Seventh-day Adventist Church on Thursday.
“The stars of this program are the churches,” said Commissioner Gordon in a press release Wednesday. “They did this on their own initiative last year. We can’t thank them enough for paving the way. This [plan] has been a great example of government working closely with nonprofits to do something big. We could not have done this without them.”
The warming centers will operate from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. Those who arrive at a designated warming center will be offered a UTA pass for transportation from one warming center to another. The UTA passes will also facilitate other travel needs, especially to community services providing mental health resources, medical care, substance abuse counseling and job training.
Sleeping mats, blankets, snacks and drinks will be provided, but not full meals. People are encouraged to visit the Food and Care Coalition for meals, which offers three meals a day to those in need. Professional staff will be at the warming centers to help connect people to various services throughout the County. Children will not be housed at warming centers. Instead, they and their parents will be provided a hotel or other accommodations.
“We’ve heard repeatedly, from the state and from others, that efforts to help the homeless should be led by the county organization, and Commissioner Gordon has answered that call. We tried really hard to find churches or other facilities in other parts of the County that would be warming centers. That was a goal of the task force–to spread this out more so that not everything was right here in Provo. In the end, Utah County was the one that stepped up, not just to lead the task force but to provide a facility on county land outside of our city. We greatly appreciate it. Commissioner Gordon has been a champion in all this,” said Provo Deputy Mayor Issac Paxman in Wednesday’s press release.
Utah County’s plan also received praise from the state’s top homelessness coordinator, Wayne Niederhauser, “I commend the Utah County Winter Response Task Force for its outstanding work. The group was a pleasure to work with and delivered impressive results. The County has proactively addressed homelessness, providing a wide range of services for many years. This initiative is a significant and positive addition to those efforts.”
The Winter Task Force Plan’s funding comes from various sources, including Utah’s homeless services fund and many local nonprofit partnerships.
Those looking to verify the location of the active warming center each night may call 801-441-1993. Volunteers who wish to serve at a warming center can visit https://app.vomo.org/opportunity/warming-center to sign up.
Warming Center Locations:
The Genesis Project Provo., 875 South 170 East, Provo
The Utah County Red Building, 2855 South State St., Utah County
Provo Seventh-day Adventist Church, 255 South 700 East, Provo
