Clubhouse and nonprofits urge Summit housing authority to prioritize people with mental-health, eviction records

Representatives of the Summit County Clubhouse and local nonprofits asked the Housing Authority to prioritize housing for people exiting recovery, psychiatric care and homelessness, and for workers with criminal records or prior evictions who cannot access many federally supported projects.

"What I'm not hearing in the conversation yet is housing for people with mental health and substance use challenges," said Mary Fowle, who identified herself as representing a Clubhouse program and Bridge 21. She said about 26% of clubhouse members have prior evictions and 36% have had interactions with the criminal legal system, and that these histories exclude many people from projects that use certain federal dollars.

Nonprofit leaders said they are ready to build and manage supportive units but need zoning and land-use flexibility. "We would just like to work with you and manage this population," Stephanie Polakoff said, identifying herself as with Bridge 21 Park City and describing projects her nonprofit has completed through fundraising.

Board members responded with operational suggestions — pairing housing with case management, exploring master leases, and considering targeted subsidies — and asked staff to track where nonprofit efforts could slot into the authority’s ADU and voucher pilot work. The authority did not take formal action during public comment; staff were asked to continue outreach to nonprofit partners and to incorporate these needs into program design and RFQ considerations.