Wayne Niederhauser, coordinator for the Office of Homeless Services, told the Salt Lake City Council on Nov. 18 that the state has entered into a purchase contract for a 15.85-acre parcel at 2200 North for a proposed comprehensive homelessness services campus and aims to close the sale after the upcoming legislative session.

Niederhauser said the project emerged from years of planning and preliminary site work: soils and traffic studies were complete, about a half-acre of wetlands was identified and determined to be non-jurisdictional, and the team has selected AJC Architects through a procurement process. He described the campus as a hub-and-spoke model that would centralize services to help people move from crisis to long-term stability.

Why it matters: Niederhauser framed the campus as a response to repeated seasonal operations that the state has run in recent winters. He said those winter responses cost roughly $41 million over four winters and temporarily sheltered nearly 1,000 additional people, but the transitory model returned people to the street each spring. A permanent, year-round campus is aimed at creating continuity of care, combining capital investments with ongoing operational services.

Key details presented: Niederhauser said the state
s funding request — which includes both capital and operational costs — has been submitted to the governor
s Office of Planning and Budget and will be included in the governor
s budget to be released in early December. The team estimates the campus model would cost about $65 per person per night (staff compared that to current resource centers at about $53.55 per night and to higher-cost settings such as jail or an emergency room stay). Officials said the chosen architect has experience with trauma-informed and sustainability-focused designs, and that mosquito abatement and other stakeholders have been consulted to inform site design.

Outstanding questions and council concerns: Council members pressed for clarity on several issues that remain unresolved in the presentation: what programmatic modalities (for example, clinical approaches or harm-reduction policies) will be used; how long people will stay on site; what guarantees will exist for public safety and neighborhood protection; whether the campus will become a regional "drop-off" site; and who will be the long-term operator. Niederhauser said the state office leads the effort but expects to contract with a nonprofit operator to run the campus under oversight from a governing board; many programmatic and operational details will be finalized with partners and through public engagement.

Next steps: Officials said design work and public engagement sessions are next, including board meetings to solicit feedback from stakeholder organizations (Salt Lake Valley Coalition on Homelessness, Utah Homeless Network, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County and the League of Cities and Towns). The larger funding decision will depend on the governor
s budget and legislative appropriations in the 2026 session.

"We intend to change history here," Niederhauser said, characterizing the campus as a long-term shift in how the state provides shelters and services.

The city council took no formal action in the work session; the Office of Homeless Services will return with further details as the budget and design work progress.