County Mayor Ben McAdams selected the third homeless shelter site to be built in South Salt Lake, the Salt Lake Tribune is reporting.
The site is located at approximately 3300 South and 1000 West. It is in an empty lot near the Salt Lake Valley Juvenile Detention Center, the County Metro Jail, and Valley Mental Health.
The site selection comes after a months-long debate from local leaders and the public over potential site locations. McAdams says the site was selected for its access to services, proximity to downtown Salt Lake and low cost.
Two shelter sites were originally in deliberation last fall, which later increased to four. After backlash from one site selected in Sugarhouse, Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski and McAdams announced the decision to build two sites within Salt Lake City limits and a third within Salt Lake County.
The new shelter site is the third to eventually replace the 1100-bed shelter known as The Road Home. Two 200-bed sites have already been selected in Salt Lake City, one at 275 W. High Ave. and the other at 131 East 700 South. House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, announced a “hard-close date” of The Road Home on July 1, 2019 – once the shelters are built.
Fourth Street Clinic offers support
“Like many in the community, we have had concerns about the uncertainty of locations, number of beds and funding of services – and how these constraints may affect our patients,” Fourth Street Clinic Board Chair Scott Williams, MD, said. But Williams went on to offer support of the mayor’s decision. “We support your vision of approaching homeless people as individuals who require services that are coordinated, evidence-based, and targeted to their unique needs so they can return to lives of safety and dignity.”