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Salt Lake City reports high shelter utilization, outreach plans and summer cooling guidance
Summary
City managers reported Homeless Resource Center utilization near 96% and outlined targeted outreach and mitigation work, upcoming resource events and summer cooling guidance for people outdoors; officials said state 'code red' legislation failed this session so local centers and libraries remain the primary public cooling options.
Salt Lake City administration staff on Tuesday gave an update on homelessness services, saying shelter utilization at the Homeless Resource Center has remained high and announcing a series of outreach activities and community events this month.
Andrew Johnston, director of homeless policy and outreach, reported HRC occupancy in the high‑90s earlier in May and “96 percent” usage in the most recent week. Johnston said the city is running beds that are typically winter‑only and that the city’s totals include family beds run in South Salt Lake and Sandy; “we now have about 1,600 plus beds,” he said.
Johnston outlined targeted outreach and mitigation plans: income and impact mitigation work focused on the Victory Road/Warm Springs area and a rapid‑intervention team concentrating on the Jordan River Trail corridor from Cottonwood to Dade Riverside and on Fairmont Park, Sugar House and an industrial area near Gladiola Street.
The city will hold a resource fair on June 13 at Pioneer Park and several community block‑party events to help residents connect with shelter providers and center staff, Johnston said. The HRC community block party schedule includes an event at the Geraldine E. King building and another at the Gail Miller Center parking lot.
On summer cooling, the staff briefing noted that a proposed state “code red” emergency‑cooling statute did not pass in the 2025 legislative session. “There is no code red in the state of Utah right now,” Johnston said. He added that Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City encourage residents to come indoors during extreme heat and that county recreation centers, senior centers and libraries are open as safe places. The city also funds a Volunteers of America street‑outreach team to provide water and shelter referrals during hot weather.
Officials did not present new funding requests during the work session; the update was informational and aimed at coordinating outreach and clarifying summer options.
