Gov. Cox announces up to $44 million in state homelessness funding

Utah lawmakers have begun the complex process of distributing up to $44 million to aid the growing homeless population in the state.

According to a report from the Utah Office of Homeless Services, Utahs homeless population grew by 18% in 2025. This is up from 2024, but still below the national average.

The state will provide $18 million dollars up front, with an additional $26 million if local governments match that amount dollar for dollar.

In this years State of the State Address, Utah Governor Spencer Cox spoke on his vision for fighting homelessness in Utah. He explained that stopping the spread of drugs and long-term recovery were primary goals.

Were starting with chronic homelessness helping with mental illness and breaking the vicious cycle of addiction and crime. Our mission is to make Utah the worst place in the country to camp on the street and the best place to get help, Cox said.

This legislation continues a shift away from the Housing First model that the state once prioritized. This model gave homeless individuals a bed and a place to stay.

While the Housing First model was initially effective in the short term, homelessness in Utah eventually crept back up to its current level.

Long-term solutions for homelessness are the goal for the legislature. They are also part of the goal of the Other Side Village, a Salt Lake nonprofit that provides shelter and community. Along with the Other Side Academy, the group provides support, stability and education to those in need.

Preston Cochrane, CEO of the Other Side Village, was grateful to the legislature and governor for recognizing solutions that pair permanent housing with a supportive community.

Every home we build at The Other Side Village represents more than a roof. It represents stability, accountability, community and a real chance for people who were once chronically homeless to rebuild their lives, Cochrane said.

The legislature also plans to open a large Salt Lake campus, separate from the Other Side Village but serving a similar purpose. This campus is in the works, but has not been allocated state funding yet.

The campus would have 1,300 beds on a 15-acre plot in Salt Lake City. On the Utah Homeless Services website, the campus is described as being a comprehensive hub where the homeless can have the stability and resources needed to move to self-reliance.

It would cost more than $75 million dollars to build, and require more than $30 million per year to remain functional.

This campus is part of the broader initiative to combat Utahs rising homelessness problem and seeks to do what places like the Other Side Village are doing: to provide lasting positive change in peoples lives.

Former Utah homeless coordinator Wayne Niederhauser explained that this campus would provide much-needed beds to homeless individuals in Utah.

"We know that we need extra beds, and I don't think that's arguable in any way ... and it's taxing the existing system," Niederhauser said.

Niederhauser also spoke on reducing the amount of a subpopulation known as "high utilizers."

High utilizers are people who are frequently in emergency rooms, in and out of the criminal justice system, may need significant healthcare and are in other similar high-need situations.

These high utilizers are at the top of the legislature's priority list.

Taking Niederhauser's place is former Provo representative Tyler Clancy. Clancy became the state homeless coordinator on March 9.

Clancy will be working alongside the legislature to build the Salt Lake campus and deal with homelessness in Utah.