Utah has a draft plan to address homelessness. Comments are due today, Jan. 8. We think that the plan misses a huge part of the issue. See the @sltrib story for more. 1/ sltrib.com/news/politics/…
@sltrib One of the main causes of homelessness is lack of money to pay rent. Yet this is not mentioned in the plan nor is it mentioned typically in public discussions. Some steps to increase income to prevent homelessness: 1. Increase affordable transportation. cyclingutah.com/columns/editor…
This would add more money to people's pockets and thus increase the ability for people to pay rent. Denver, California, and many other locations have had great success with ebike rebate programs. The @bicycollective is a key NGO in providing bikes to low income people.
@bicycollective Free fares on UTA and other transit systems helps too. The cost for Utah is about $25-35 million. or about $12 to $15 in taxes per person on the Wasatch Front.
2. Get rid of the tax on food. This is the most regressive tax we have in Utah that hurts low income people the most. Going without food is not an option so people must choose between food and rent. We proposed a plan years ago. #utpol archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id…
3. Increase Utah's minimum wage to $15/hour, and especially increase minimum wage for tipped workers which is $2.13/hour. This seems like an obvious way to put more money in the pockets of those on the brink of homelessness. Yet, we have not political will to do so. #utpol
While the Utah draft plan has some good ideas, it completely misses the boat in that it doesn't address the lack of rent money issue. You can comment on the plan (due January 8). Comment link in next tweet. utah.gov/pmn/files/9235…
To comment on Utah's Homelessness plan, see: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI… or email UHCpubliccomment@utah.gov
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