When temperatures drop below 18 degrees, new temporary shelter beds for homeless Utahns can open up under a so-called Code Blue alert.
Now, state Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, has proposed making it easier for service providers to open more shelter on new “Code Red” days when temperatures soar and those living outside are at risk of deadly heat exposure.
The bill, SB182, passed the Utah Senate overwhelmingly with 27 votes Tuesday morning — Sens. Nate Blouin, D-Salt Lake City, and Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, were absent and did not cast a vote. The legislation comes as lawmakers look for solutions to the Beehive State’s growing homelessness crisis, and after a year in which local governments struggled to find places to put new shelter beds, even temporarily.
Homeless people, experts say, are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illness and death.
The Code Red legislation aims to keep those sleeping outside alive by allowing governments and nonprofits to add emergency beds to their operations, encouraging organizations to pass out supplies to help homeless Utahns survive high temperatures, and preventing police from confiscating items, like tents, that help people stay cool on hot days.
While Weiler’s bill doesn’t have a specific temperature threshold, it would require state health officials to call a Code Red day when the National Weather Service predicts moderate heat risk or greater in one or more of Utah’s counties. The weather service makes a moderate designation when there is risk of illness for heat-sensitive people, like those exposed to the sun outdoors for long periods.
Code Red alerts could be called from June 1 through Sept. 30 each year.
The bill now awaits consideration in the Utah House of Representatives.
