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ULCT warns members of shifting homelessness legislation, mitigation funding and new facilities
Summary
League staff outlined multiple homelessness bills and funding proposals, highlighted $18.8 million in the governor’s budget proposal and flagged potential changes to mitigation funding, camping on state land and the addition of lived-experience representation on the State Homelessness Board.
ULCT staff told the Legislative Policy Committee on Jan. 13 that homelessness policy is an active and evolving area for the 2025 session, with multiple bills anticipated and new shelter facilities planned in Salt Lake County.
Why it matters: League staff said municipalities that host shelters continue shouldering mitigation and public-safety costs and that proposed bills may change the allocation of those costs, create new municipal obligations, or limit local authority in some respects.
Key points from the briefing: - Budget: The governor’s proposed budget includes about $18.8 million for homelessness: $5.8 million toward a new family shelter in South Salt Lake and $13 million for a central campus and statewide response. - Mitigation fund: The mitigation fund was reported at roughly $17.5 million (about $10 million from local contributions, $7.5 million from the state); staff are still finalizing city-level deficit summaries. - HB 118 (Rep. Nelson Abbott): would allow municipalities that contribute to the mitigation fund to reduce their contribution by offsetting qualifying expenses tied to the Homeless to Housing Account; staff warned the draft does not currently function as written because of account access limitations for municipalities. - Representative Eliason (anticipated bill): reportedly will seek to increase municipal contributions to the mitigation fund and would prohibit camping on state land unless specifically authorized by the land-owning state agency; ULCT asked cities to report incidents of unsanctioned camping on state land to staff. - Other anticipated legislation: Representative Clancy (increased scrutiny on shelter operations and conditional-use permitting), Representative Grant Miller (homeless bill of rights with private-rights remedies for property loss during abatements), Senator Jen Plumb (homeless individuals protection amendments and a proposed ombudsman within the Office of Homeless Services), and possible “code red” operational rules similar to last year’s “code blue.”
Staff framing and direction: The ULCT board reaffirmed guiding principles for engagement on homelessness: incentivize jurisdictions to participate in long-term solutions and reimburse host cities for most direct and indirect public-safety costs tied to qualifying shelters. The league will coordinate with the Office of Homeless Services on incentive structures (mitigation offsets, zoning/permitting benefits, and financial contributions).
Ending: Staff asked members to report local experiences (unsanctioned camping on state land, fiscal impacts of hosting shelters) so the league can negotiate technical fixes with sponsors during the session.
