Thread by @SLCPaladin

"Man arrested for breaking into Provo temple, claiming he was just cold"

This is a 🧵on homelessness in Utah County (and Utah), the Church of Jesus Christ, and housing affordability

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ksl.com/article/505341…

My cousin and one of my bests friends growing up served an LDS mission in Baltimore, MD. On his mission he had a psychotic episode and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Eventually he became homeless and lived homeless in the Rio Grande area

sltrib.com/news/politics/…

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My cousin died by suicide 2 years before the controversial "Operation Rio Grand. Schizophrenia is a complex illness, but housing insecurity undoubtedly played a major role in his passing.

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premierfuneral.com/obituaries/Nat…

The ACLU has done extensive study into the impacts of "Operation Rio Grande". While the operation removed the visibility of the homelessness, it did nothing to address the root cause. In essence, it dispersed it into other areas of the state.

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infogram.com/1t0dd089delymp…

The unsheltered in Utah County suffer enormously because there is no shelter. However, the homeless are everywhere if you know where to look. The SL Trib has poignant photo essay of the homeless "hidden in plain sight"

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local.sltrib.com/online/perspec…

A lot of people have opinions/thoughts on homelessness. I will not be able to combat erroneous misconceptions of homelessness in this Twitter thread, but for a deep dive I would recommend the excellent podcast "The Outsiders":

npr.org/podcasts/79509…

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A couple of misconceptions that are easily debunked:

1) Homelessness is mostly homegrown. That is to say, the unsheltered largely are not transplants from elsewhere. This is true in coastal cities as well.
2) Many homeless are employed, up to 50% in some cases.

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3) There is a complex interplay between mental illness, substance abuse, trauma, bad luck, and housing affordability. In some/many cases, drug use follows homelessness as a consequence, not a cause, in order to cope with harsh conditions/vigilance/cold/violence

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4) Many congregate shelters are poorly suited for the homeless. There is a lack of privacy, noise concerns, and can invite predatory drug peddlers preying on other residents. That is why I am optimistic about Salt Lake's Tiny Village project:

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sltrib.com/news/2022/10/1…

5) Many of the homeless are children. Sometimes they sleep in cars/vans/RVs. My wife is a middle school teacher here in St. George. There is a football player who simply sleeps in a car, arrives early to school and showers, and goes about his day.

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This is also another reason why PUBLIC school is so critically important, including full meal services (yes, breakfast and, if possible, weekend take-home meals or ready-to-eat healthy snacks/food).

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The root cause of homelessness is housing affordability. This is highlighted by the ACLU's report:

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We have a massive, nationwide homeless problem. This is true in California, but also true in Utah as our housing affordability is on par with California. To tackle homelessness, we MUST reform land use, zoning, address impediments to building that 4-letter word "density"

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We also need to recognize that the market won't solve all of the problems. This is where government and private organizations, charities, and religions need to get involved. I would love to see @Ch_JesusChrist get more involved in building affordable housing

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@Ch_JesusChrist When I was an executive secretary in Murray, UT, I frequently assisted the bishop with food orders from the church's food pantry. I also arranged for vouchers for Deseret Industries that was used for clothing, furniture, etc.

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@Ch_JesusChrist But the overwhelming request (by members of the church and non-LDS petitioners of charity) was rental assistance. The church is the largest payer of rents in the state per Kirk Cullimore's law firm. However, this is largely giving out fish rather than teaching to fish.

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@Ch_JesusChrist What we really need to do is actually get involved and procure/produce housing. A temple is never going to be a suitable substitute for a homeless shelter and I will never condone burglary or property damage. But the church must lean on Utah govt officials to address

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@Ch_JesusChrist The crisis of homelessness in our state and housing affordability in general. We have a $3 Billion dollar surplus. Home many units of affordable housing could we build with that strategically placed throughout the entire state? Could we leverage non-profits?

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#utpol

@Ch_JesusChrist In my ideal world, the church would start to call "construction missionaries" or trade missionaries whose sole purpose is to produce homes for the indigent. Instead of learning a foreign language, they would gain trade experience, a perfect skill for the moment.

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@Ch_JesusChrist This problem takes coordinated govt. action with assistance from private organizations. It won't be solved by private individuals. I hope this thread has highlighted just one idea that I would love to see implemented by the UT legislature and the predominant religion. /end