Utah’s annual homeless population of 16,000 is fairly small - about one-tenth the size of that of Los Angeles. Utah also has lower rates of homelessness. Roughly 0.6 percent of the state’s total population is homeless, compared to 1.2 nationally.

This gives Utah an advantage, because when a problem is that concentrated, it can be more readily understood and solved. On the other hand, homelessness is growing in Utah, especially among families. By acting now, state and local officials can reverse that trend. No area of the state is immune.

Who are Utah’s homeless?

• 86 percent are temporarily homeless; they stay in shelters for brief periods and do not return
• 10 percent are chronically homeless, those with a disabling condition who have been homeless for one year or more, or who have fallen into homelessness at least four times within three years. The vast majority are male, and one-third are veterans. Many struggle with mental illness and addictions.
• 65 percent are single men or women
• 43 percent are people in families, the fastest growing segment of the homeless population
• 85 percent are Utah residents; your neighbors, friends and relatives
• 90 percent live along the Wasatch Front, concentrated in Salt Lake and Weber counties