OGDEN, Utah — Nancy Griggs spends every day with people on Ogden’s streets, giving back to a community that she once belonged to.
“I am formerly homeless," said Griggs, who works as a homeless advocate for the city. "That's really my basis of why I wanted to start doing this.”
In 2021, the Ogden City Police Department started a "Code Blue Program." When temperatures get below freezing and it’s precipitating, or if temperatures get below 20 degrees and it's not precipitating, Code Blue kicks in and the city increases its homeless outreach. Ogden’s homeless outreach is embedded in law enforcement, which is unlike any other Utah city, said Ogden Police Captain Tim Scott.
“Are we doing things better than other police agencies and emergency management departments in Utah? I'm going to have to say yes, when it comes to unsheltered population," he said.
Getting out ahead of a storm and guiding people to the shelters is a tough task, said Kenny Miller, the emergency manager for Ogden.
“The hardest part with this is just finding those individuals, because some of the unsheltered don't want to be found," he said. "When we do come across these individuals, we want to let them know, 'Hey, use the resources that are available to you. Let's get you out of the inclement weather.'"
Griggs said she will never forget the feeling of being on the streets on the coldest, wettest winter days and nights.
"It's absolutely miserable," she said. "Not only is it hard to be homeless because then you feel like people are looking down on you, and then you're either invisible or you're a problem. Being in the cold and being completely alone, it's one of the worst feelings in the world.”
Ogden’s Homeless Advocates have a trauma-informed approach; they create case-management plans for each individual, helping them get IDs, find housing and navigate the legal system.
“They’re still people, whether they're in shelter, not in a shelter, mental health, trauma, whatever the case may be," said Griggs. "People are people. So it's important to look at them as a person, not as a problem.”
With this winter being so wet and cold so far, Miller said the city is averaging 10 to 15 code blue days per month.
