October 16, 2017 Dear Mayor Biskupski, Mayor McAdams and Governor Herbert: As people from many different faith traditions and communities, we are writing to express our shared concern for the welfare of homeless people, particularly homeless children. State and local leaders have jointly announced the intention to close the homeless shelter in downtown Salt Lake City when three significantly smaller shelters are opened. These new shelters will collectively have 400 less beds than the shelter that is scheduled to be closed. We fear this will lead to more people sleeping on the street during the winter of 2019 unless state and local government work together to address the housing crisis that is the biggest driver of the recent surge in homelessness. We are specifically recommending that these three things be completed before the shelter is closed: 1) Construct 800 new units of permanent supportive housing in population centers accross the state. The need for additional permanent supportive housing has grown since Crossroads Urban Center, and others, first made this suggestion in 2015. We strongly recommend that at least 200 of these units be recovery housing designed for the specific needs of people leaving treatment. 2) Create 200 new housing vouchers for homeless families with children that can be used statewide. Families with children were removed from the shelter earlier this year and the state is now paying for over 40 families to be housed at motels. At this time, the vacancy rate for apartments is so low that all forms of temporary housing assistance are less successful than in the past. Federal funding for housing vouchers is not increasing and so state and local government need to work together to help families in crisis to have a stable environment. Ideally these new vouchers would be partnered with efforts to help homeless parents receive a GED and/or job training so that homeless families with children can move toward greater self sufficiency. 3) Produce sufficient new funding streams for low income housing to reverse the steady loss of housing units that are affordable to families earning less that $25,000 per year. Market forces have driven rental prices beyond what many families in the rental market can afford. This leaves too many families on the edge of crisis. To reverse this trend our state needs to increase the production of low income housing by at least 1,000 units per year. Reaching this goal will probably require state and local government to issue general obligation and private activity bonds and to come up with other funding options. If state and local government fails to act on these suggestions we implore you to oppose the closure of the current shelter. It would be unconscionable to close a shelter to adults and children if we have not created an alternative way for those human beings, made in the image of God, to sleep indoors during the winter. Sincerely, Rev Tom Abbott Cottonwood Presbyterian Church Murray Rev Trace Browning All Saints Episcopal Church Salt Lake City Rev. Jodi Bushdiecker Bountiful Community Church Rev. Gage Church Congregational United Church of Christ Ogden Rev. Brian Diggs, Unite Methodis Committee on Relief, West Depot Rev. William Germundson St. Francis of Assisi Christian Church Rev. Vinnetta Golphin-Wilkerson, Pastor Granger Community Christian Church West Valley City Rev. Nancy Groshart The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Ogden Rev. Gary Haddock, Community United Methodist Church Washington Terrace Rev. Monica Hall Trinity Presbyterian Church Ogden Rev. Olga Hard, Mountain Vista United Methodist Church West Jordan The Right. Reverend Scott B. Hayashi Episcopal Diocese of Utah Pastor Charles Hines Saint Francis of Assisi Christian Church Murray The Rev. Elizabeth Hunter The Cathedral Church of St. Mark Salt Lake City Rev. Kim James First United Methodist Church Marriott-Slaterville Steve Klemz Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Salt Lake City Rev. Bruce Kolasch Elim Lutheran Ogden Rev. Fr. Elias Koucos, Priest Greek Orthodox Church Rev Jerrod B. Lowry, pastor Community of Grace Presbyterian Church (USA), Sandy Rev Anita Miner All Saints Episcopal Church Salt Lake City Rev. Elizabeth McVicker First United Methodist Church Salt Lake City Rev. Christine Myeres-Tegeder First Presbyterian Church Salt Lake City Rev. David Nichols Mount Tabor Lutheran Church, ELCA Salt Lake City Rev. Dr. Judy DeBres Chaplain at Ogden Regional Medical Center Rev. David Ofahengaue Tongan UMC West Valley City Rev. Russell Butler Christ United Methodist Church Salt Lake City Rev. Curtis Price, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City Rev. Marijke Rossi First Congregational Church Salt Lake City Rabbi Ilana Schwartzman Congregation Kol Ami Salt Lake City Rev. Dr. Dennis Shaw Hilltop United Methodist Church Sandy Jeff Silliman, Interim Executive Presbyter Presbytery of Utah Rev. Harold Straughn Rev. Sua Uamuli EFKS New Jerusalem United Church of Christ; Midvale Dr. Leslie Whited – Retired Clergy & Current CEO at Mosaic Inter-Faith Ministries Reverend Patty C. Willis South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society Holladay Kathy Bray, President & CEO Volunteers of America, Utah