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Committee backs bill to streamline Utah Office of Homeless Services and reporting
Summary
HB 308 would clarify the coordinator’s role, reduce duplicative contract reporting, and align state reporting with federal HUD metrics; the committee voted unanimously to send the bill to the full House after broad support from service providers and local governments.
Representative Oakland presented HB 308 to clarify the Office of Homeless Services coordinator’s duties, reduce administrative burden for providers, and align state contractor reporting with federal HUD measures. Interim coordinator Nick Coleman described two primary goals: make the office a more responsive partner to providers and remove duplicative reporting requirements that currently force providers to submit similar data to multiple state and federal systems.
Coleman and sponsor said the bill codifies the coordinator’s day‑to‑day responsibilities, clarifies that the coordinator will act as chief administrative officer for the division, and sets a reporting cadence to the legislature. Multiple provider organizations testified in favor, including The Road Home, Shelter the Homeless, Utah Homeless Network, SwitchPoint, the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition and the Utah League of Cities and Towns. Testimony emphasized that clearer roles and streamlined reporting would reduce administrative duplication, free provider capacity for services and help target resources to outcomes.
Committee members asked about how the coordinator would handle statewide emergency and crisis responses, and staff confirmed the statute codifies a coordination responsibility for statewide crises and that functional-zero metrics would be reported as an outcome measure. The sponsor and interim coordinator said the changes are not intended to reduce data collection but to change how data is reported and reduce double‑entry for providers.
Representative Jack moved that the committee favorably recommend HB 308; the motion passed unanimously. Supporters said the bill will enable better state-local coordination and improve accountability while promising administrative efficiencies; the Office of Homeless Services expects net cost savings in the fiscal note.
