Fourth Street Clinic is encouraged to see a reported 1.6% decrease in homelessness reflected by the 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. Although modest, this progress demonstrates what is achievable when healthcare providers, housing partners, outreach teams, municipalities and community organizations work together in a coordinated and sustained way. We see what expanding collaboration, strengthening street outreach efforts, increasing behavioral health coordination, and connecting individuals to healthcare, housing navigation and supportive services can do. These collective efforts matter, and the PIT Count results suggest the community is taking small steps in the right direction.
At the same time, the PIT Count represents only a snapshot of a much larger and increasingly complex issue. Fourth Street Clinic is the only frontline provider of integrated comprehensive health care in Salt Lake County, and despite the decrease, our waitlist and patient volumes continue to demonstrate a need for services.
We have seen an extraordinarily high demand for medical, mental health, substance use, dental, pharmaceutical and case management services among individuals experiencing homelessness. In 2025, 91% of our patients were unhoused. We saw a 14% increase in demand for behavioral health and substance use disorder support, as well as an 11% increase in prescriptions dispensed – from 90,517 in 2024 to 103,605 in 2025. We consistently operate well above our staff and facility capabilities, and every day we must turn away 25% of walk in patients.
In addition, the 2026 legislative session displayed a missed opportunity by state officials to approve our 18-million-dollar appropriation for the expansion of our downtown clinic. Although the legislature allocated up to 44-million-dollars in funding toward homelessness services, zero dollars were invested in our goal to increase access to vital services. An expansion of Fourth Street Clinic means more patients are connected to care, resulting in stronger stabilization of outcomes, reduced strain on hospital and emergency systems, and greater long-term community impact.
The lack of legislative investment toward our expansion consequently denies enhanced access to the vital health care services our patients need most, particularly during a time when we see such extraordinarily high demand. To make meaningful reductions in homelessness, continued investment is not only required in health care, but in housing and the supportive service systems that help individuals stabilize and remain housed.
Fourth Street Clinic remains committed to working collaboratively with community partners and policymakers to ensure progress continues. We know that now more than ever, investment in Fourth Street Clinic will help ensure that efforts do not stall. Thank you for standing with us as we work to see a continued reduction in homelessness in 2027 and beyond.