Nearly 12,000 Utah high school and elementary school students lack fixed and adequate housing. Those in the Midvale family homeless resource center or placed in area motels are easy to count and be seen. Thousands of others are unseen by anyone but their parents or family.
These children, classified as Mckinney-Vento children (after federal legislation was passed a number of years ago), with their families are couch surfing, doubled up in units or living in cars. All of them are living in challenging and perhaps precipitously bad situations. Each school district knows their names, their situations, and strives to support them.
Surprisingly, the vast majority of these children are not living in Salt Lake or Ogden, but throughout the state. There are approximately 1,100 Davis County children under the age of 18 living like this. Surprised? We were. But that is not all: Canyons school district – 1,600; Jordan – 1,500; Nebo – 1,100; Iron – 300; Washington – 750.
How they and their family got in this situation may vary, but their daily challenges are the same. Will they have a safe and stable place to sleep tonight? Are these children able to achieve in school, or will they struggle?
Do we expect each of these students to get the same grades, participate in the same activities and have the same opportunity to excel as the thousands of students who do not wonder where they will sleep or even eat tonight?
We have a solution in Senate Bill 39: Affordable Housing Amendments, sponsored by Utah state Sen. Jacob Anderegg. This bill calls for an annual $5 million rental assistance program that will be overseen by the state, utilized by local housing authorities, nonprofits or other agencies, working with the local school districts to specifically target these families with their children. These families would receive rental assistance providing them with housing stability.
Based on where these children go to school, 25% of the money will be targeted for children living in our smaller rural counties, so all children will benefit. This appropriation was in Gov. Gary Herbert’s budget and now we ask the Legislature fund the program.
Our housing crisis has more victims than our children. Many of our senior citizens, having worked all of their lives, now find themselves in a situation where their Social Security income remains static, yet their rents continue to rise. A small monthly housing rental assistance can provide them the security they deserve. SB39 also provides rental assistance for these situations.
Working to solve our affordable housing situation requires a public-private partnership. We are on a path to succeed. Last year the Legislature passed SB34, Affordable Housing Modifications, to begin this process. SB34 provided a local framework for partnerships by requiring each city and county to provide a housing plan to facilitate housing options and diversity. One important part of the bill allowed partnerships among our cities and Utah Transit Authority to expand bus lines along street corridors where affordable housing can be built.
SB39 is building upon last year’s success. Following Herbert’s budget, it is carefully crafted to provide $15 million for gap financing for our builders to build and preserve housing for those at 80% of the area’s average median income. These units will provide housing for a number of our families at that income level. However, we still have a number of families at an income level of 30% - 50% AMI. For those, we also need short term rental assistance.
We need to do more, and the community is coming together. Many private organizations working with the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce are pledging their support. Builders are ready to build. Cities have pledged to pool affordable housing funds and work together on projects while agreeing to work with the builders to reduce costs of building.
All we need now is for SB39 to be passed and funded.
Since spring training has started, let’s use a baseball metaphor. Last year we hit a single with SB34. This year, with SB39, we have the opportunity for an extra base hit. All of the players are primed. The governor, local governments, private organizations and developers are ready and prepared. Will the state Legislature bring the final funding to allow us to get to hit that double or triple?
Dave Spatafore
Ashley Spatafore
David Spatafore and Ashley Spatafore are the father-and-daughter lobbying team of Capstone Strategies. They facilitate an affordable housing policy work group that includes representation from cities, counties, the state, the private sector and nonprofit organizations.
