Weber Housing Authority outlines rules, staffing and site-selection rationale for proposed Ogden supportive-housing facility

Andy Beadles of the Weber Housing Authority detailed admission criteria, staffing, security and site-selection criteria for a proposed permanent supportive housing (PSH) facility in Ogden during the City Council work session on Jan. 7.

The presentation and ensuing council discussion focused on how the Aspen facility would serve chronically homeless adults with disabilities, how residents would be screened and supervised, and whether the facility’s location in an East Central neighborhood near schools and community assets is appropriate.

Beadles said the Authority’s tenant-screening requires that applicants be “extremely low income,” be chronically homeless as defined by HUD, and have a disability. He described an application and appeal process and a policy of annual re-screening of background and needs. “The goal of the program is to keep people housed,” Beadles said, describing progressive violation consequences — warnings, counseling, suspension of privileges or services and, if necessary, eviction — and adding that the police would be called when illegal substances were involved.

The council pressed on specifics commonly raised by neighbors: whether sobriety is required (Beadles said it is not), whether alcohol would be allowed on site (it will not), whether couples or guests may stay in units (they may not), and whether residents could enter the project directly from jail or prison (they cannot; all participants must be referred through the county coordinated entry process). Beadles said the facility would not accept people directly from incarceration and that applicants must meet the HUD chronic-homelessness threshold (generally a year or longer living on the streets or in shelter) to qualify.

Beadles also described operational details: the Aspen property has 33 units and the authority set a maximum occupancy of 25 individuals for the site; couples would not share units. The authority will provide on-site case management: three full-time case managers, one project manager and two resident monitors; case-management coverage will include evening hours and weekend staffing, with resident monitors responsible overnight. He said Weber Human Services will provide behavioral-health services on-site and that the Weber County Sheriff’s Office will provide office space for reentry staff but not regular security. Cameras will cover common areas but not sleeping rooms; the authority has funds available to hire a security person if necessary.

Beadles reviewed why the Authority chose an existing hotel-like property rather than new construction: new construction currently costs far more (he said a separate 46-unit new-build project is estimated at about $16,000,000), and the Authority used criteria that included a self-contained layout (kitchen, laundry and social spaces separate from public access), a purchase price limit of $2,000,000 and a maximum desired bed count no more than 40. He listed other properties that were considered during the search.

On governance and funding, Beadles said Weber Housing Authority has operated under the county umbrella since 2008 but is financially self-sustaining from federal and grant revenue; state statute requires a county-elected official on the Authority board. He said a 15-year grant will provide the operating subsidy that funds case management for the facility and that a portion of project funding — an ARPA allocation of about $590,000 — must be spent before June (Beadles said the ARPA funds expire in June), a timeline he characterized as a constraint if the Authority were to consider an alternate site.

Council members, the mayor, and other speakers repeatedly pressed for city–county collaboration and for time to explore alternate locations. Mayor Nedalski urged working “at the table from the jump” and offered the city’s data and property inventory as part of a cooperative search for acceptable siting. Beadles said the Authority is willing to consider alternatives but noted the limited time window tied to the ARPA funds and that some grants and approvals are already in place.

Speakers also raised neighborhood-impact concerns near schools, a library and the 9Rails district, and asked about steps the Authority would take to reduce impacts (fencing upgrades, volunteer programming, and community outreach were cited). Beadles said the Authority will replace a chain-link fence, intends to hire local contractors for rehab work and to provide volunteer-friendly programming so the community can engage with residents.

No formal council vote occurred during the session; council members asked the chair to leave the matter on the agenda so staff and the mayor could pursue additional coordination with the Authority and county before the item returns for formal action.