More Utahns experienced homelessness during a single-night count last winter than the year before, but the tally jumped less than and was lower than many other states, according to federal data released Friday.
And a Utah official says there is still more work to be done to help those struggling to find a steady home.
About 3,900 Utahns were in a shelter or living on the streets during the point-in-time count in January. That was about 180 people more than in January 2023.
Utah has made “significant progress” in adding deeply affordable housing in the past three years, Sarah Nielson, a spokesperson for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, told The Salt Lake Tribune in an email. The state agency oversees work-related and safety net benefits.
That could be part of the reason Utah saw a smaller jump — the 4.9% increase in the 2024 point-in-time count means Utah tied for the 11th smallest climb. Across the country, the annual difference ranged from -36.5% in Maine to 116.2% in Illinois.
But the state still faces a “substantial deficit in both deeply affordable and general affordable housing,” Nielson said, and will keep working to develop affordable housing and enhance behavioral health resources.
There were two potentially positive indicators in the report, as well:
Utah had among the lower rates of homelessness with 11 among every 10,000 residents.
The number of people experiencing chronic homelessness decreased from 1,004 to 869, though that’s still higher than the 643 people who were chronically unhoused in January 2020.
State officials are pleased to see the drop in chronic homelessness, Nielson said, but it’s unclear if that’s the start of a new trend or fluctuation specific to the point-in-time count.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Microshelter Community, opened by Utah’s Office of Homeless Services and designed to house up to 50 individuals experiencing homelessness, is seen in Salt Lake City on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024.
While the PIT count helps identify trends and is an important data point required for federal funding, it has several limitations, according to Nielson. It only includes people in certain situations on a single night, she said, and also is influenced by weather and the availability of shelter beds.
Nielson added while there are resources to count people who are staying in emergency shelters and transitional housing projects, counting people who don’t have shelter depends on a large volunteer effort.
“This can result in varying success in being able to locate and survey all the people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the area,” she wrote.
The next count is the night of Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. People can volunteer at: endutahhomelessness.org/point-in-time-count/.
Megan Banta is The Salt Lake Tribune’s data enterprise reporter, a philanthropically supported position. The Tribune retains control over all editorial decisions.
