FARMINGTON—Most residents don’t realize there is a homeless problem in Davis County  but it’s here – it’s just not obvious. In an effort to curb the rising numbers and to comply with a state mandate, the county is asking the legislature this session for funding to open a shelter.

“The Governor set aside $128 million just specifically for homeless services,” said Commissioner Lorene Kamalu. “Last year HB499 was passed by the legislature requiring counties to have beds for a certain number of people in the winter between October and April. The bill was an unfunded mandate.”

“As far as the future goes we understand that we need to be prepared for homelessness,” said Commission Chair Bob Stevenson. “There are two things. One, people who don’t want to be in a home and two, an element of good people who run into bad luck.”

Individuals carry their belongings as they brave the cold temperatures. Photo by Roger V. Tuttle

It’s important to help people move along in Davis County because the problem does exist, he said. “Now we have to decide how we’re going to handle this. If we don’t get funding from the legislature we’ll have less money to make this work.”

Davis Behavioral Health (DBH) already has 140 beds of permanent housing, said Kamalu. “Otherwise those people would be out on the street. Open Doors outreach is year round.”

DBH is working to build a facility that would have 60 units, she said. “It would be more efficient to have a single building so they’re not scattered and they have a community right around it. It’s the gold standard for the chronically mentally ill. Otherwise they would not have a place with support.”

The state appears to be supportive but there’s not enough of it, Kamalu said. “Having mentally ill people on the street will just get worse.”

A lot of money can be spent looking at other shelters, she said. “Places where they get kicked out in the morning and hang around all day until they can get in at night. That’s not really the Davis County way. We have to address the root cause and stabilize it. We all want them to get out of the cycle.”

Kamalu said they know it can work. “In St. George, they're doing it in a different way. That interests us. The data from Switchpoint Community Resource Center there shows how many people leave in 30 days.”

The standard they live by is “opportunity with accountability,” she said. “They come and receive support to do what they want to do to get out of the situation.”

The county has to use wise ways and sound policies, said Kamalu. “If you haven’t learned from other places you’re foolish. We need to seek a better model in communities that are supportive.”

The facility in St. George has all the volunteers it needs and donors, she said. “Why? Because they’re much better at helping them turn around their lives.”

Washington County’s population is about a ⅓ of Davis County’s, said Kamalu. “A shelter is just opening in Tooele and their population is  ⅕ of ours.”

It’s often non profits who lead the charge, she said. “There’s not a non-profit that can lead the charge here.”

A task force has been created made up of seven mayors and Kamalu representing the commission charged with trying to find a solution to providing a homeless shelter in Davis County. “It’s made up of the mayors of Bountiful, Farmington, Kaysville, Layton, Clearfield, Syracuse, Sunset and stakeholders in this space.” 

There’s not a lot of land or buildings up for sale, Kamalu said. “We’ve been working since April but it’s hard to find a place. People need transit and other nearby services.”

Prevention is the key, she said. “Davis County is already upstream. The numbers are going to grow. With Teen Centers we’re trying to nip intergenerational poverty in the bud.”

Kamalu said they’ve heard there is some support for their request for funds in the Senate but the House thinks there are more important things to spend money on. “We hope the House will work to understand that this is a statewide problem.”