SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City and County leaders have returned from a research trip to Miami to see what new approaches can be taken to better help those experiencing homelessness.
One of the participants, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said some of what the group say is already in place in Utah, but hopes other actions can be emulated back home.
"What was remarkable for me is Miami-Dade has taken some of the principles that we already have in place, but built a cohesive response, a community response," said Gill.
Gill spoke about his time working with Judge Steven Leifman over the past two years on how to institutionally respond to the homeless population and local leaders hope to adopt this type of approach.
"What we saw in the data, that proved out in Miami in the past 22 years, is that they are spending a fraction of the cost in serving these high impact and high need individuals in the right way," said Salt Lake City Mayor, Erin Mendenhall.
The "right way" includes a more collaborative approach between the behavioral, business, and criminal justice spheres. It also means arrests will be used less.
"Unfortunately, we have looked to the criminal justice system to be our crisis managers and what we have learned is we will never be able to arrest our way out of this situation," Gill said.
"The systems continue to cycle people through without resolving much of anything and sometimes making it worse," Mendenhall added.
People like Kary Francis who are experiencing homelessness say that's exactly what cycling through the legal system does. Francis says she is a felon and it has impacted her ability to get a job that can keep her off the streets and out of shelters.
"It really impacts their life. I mean if you have a warrant and if you apply for a job, they will not hire you until you get that warrant cleared and a lot of people miss out on opportunities for employment," Francis said.
Francis notes that court and legal fees that accompany an arrest are hard for individuals experiencing homelessness to pay. She says that institutions relying on the criminal justice system less will be a game-changer, but she says this is just the first step in helping tackle homelessness.
"Something needs to be done more in the system altogether," Francis said.
Less involvement in the criminal justice system is just one of the first steps local leaders hope to take in the fight against homelessness.
"It's right for those individuals and the needs we have, it's right for our broader community, and it's right for our taxpayers," Mendenhall said.
Mayor Mendenhall says she plans to start implementing things like system mapping in the first quarter of next year.
