Salt Lake County and City officials launched a large-scale abatement of a homeless encampment in the city’s foothills Wednesday.
Front-end loaders pushed trash and people’s belongings over to dump trucks, while a pickup truck dragged a camper with no wheels down the mountain near the State Capitol. City officials estimated 50 people had been living at the encampment off Victory Road, though residents believe there may have been closer to 100.
Sydnee Collingwood, 27, has stayed there off and on for around five years and felt a sense of security at the location.
“Being homeless, you’re constantly getting moved around,” Collingwood said. “Up here is one of the only places where you can actually have somewhat of a stable — I mean, it’s not the best — but it’s the stablest you can be while you’re homeless. Like you actually have the same place to go to sleep every night and not have to worry about getting kicked out the next morning.”
To read more about the camp abatement, visit KUER.org.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.
