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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a new law that would improve the collection and reporting of data on homelessness and develop standards to assess whether service providers are making good use of funds to help people escape homelessness. The bill passed unanimously requiring states to do so.
HB298, sponsored by Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, focuses on “data, governance and accountability,” he told Utah House members on Tuesday.
“We cannot simply invest resources, let go of the handle and think that is enough.While we acknowledge that HB298 is far from a cure for this complex problem, it is a notable departure from the status quo. There’s no question about it, and I believe that’s what our homeless brothers and sisters desperately need,” Clancy said.
The bill would amend how data is collected and exchanged between agencies, replace the Utah Homeless Council with a smaller board, and implement a winter response and “Code Blue” plan (for those experiencing homelessness). It changes the requirements for the next cold front (an effort to help more people find shelter as another cold front hits). sweeps the entire state).
It passed 74-0 in the House and will be sent to the Senate.
The measure would create a mechanism called “feature zero” to track new entrants to the system, individuals already in the homeless services system, and exits from the system. The mechanism would require monthly and annual reports identifying the number of customers with “successful exits, unsuccessful exits, and no change of residence.”
“We know that if you can’t measure the challenge, you can’t manage the challenge. The problem with homeless services data is not a lack of available data, it’s a lack of valid data.” said Clancy. “We believe Functional Zero can help policymakers unravel some of the unique challenges facing homeless communities.”
Additionally, the data collected will be shared across homeless services, mental health systems, and criminal justice systems. Currently, homelessness management information systems are used exclusively by homeless assistance providers to store client-level information about the characteristics and service needs of people experiencing homelessness. Data is used to coordinate care, manage homeless provider operations, and better serve our clients.
Some advocates say sharing identifying information can raise concerns about confidentiality and trust in providers for people experiencing homelessness, but say the effort is superficial. Some people think.
“Endless data collection is not as important as sending people into shelters periodically to check on their situation. Self-reported data just takes more time and costs more. If you want it, you need the secrets of homelessness.”We encourage shoppers to go and see what’s going on. They try to secure housing. They try to access medical services. That’s where the real story begins. “It’s just a superficial attempt to prove we’re doing something,” executive director Wendy Garvin said. Unprotected Utah.
But Clancy, who is a Provo police officer by trade, said he wants to approach the issue from multiple angles, and that each person experiencing homelessness requires a different type of intervention. .
“Currently, our largest mental health providers are county jails and state prisons,” Clancy told the Deseret News in January. “That’s because certain people have severe mental illness and sometimes don’t even realize they need help. And that illness drives their behavior, which triggers a law enforcement response. It is.”
Clancy, who has experienced this outcome firsthand as a police officer, said lawmakers need to rethink how they support people suffering from mental illness while keeping communities safe.
Additionally, the bill would replace the 29-member Utah Homeless Council with the nine-member Utah Homeless Services Commission.
“It’s cumbersome, it’s clunky, and it’s not an effective service for our homeless brothers and sisters,” Clancy said. “We believe this will strengthen our collaboration with city, county and state leaders to ensure we know where our dollars are being spent and that they are being spent productively.”
Under HB298, all funding and policy decisions will be submitted to the Utah Homeless Services Commission.
The bill also amends the provisions regarding the requirement for Class 1 and Class 2 counties to submit winter preparedness plans and replaces “number of hospital beds” with only “plan” as a target to meet needs. In addition, some protections will be lifted for people who are unprotected during a Code Blue event.
The Code Blue alert was authorized under state law that goes into effect in 2023. Warnings are issued on a county-by-county basis when temperatures in a specific area are expected to drop to 15 degrees Celsius (including wind chill) for 24 hours or more. Time zone. The alert allows shelters to ease capacity restrictions and expand to give authorities more flexibility to identify new locations to shelter people experiencing homelessness from the cold.
Current law also authorizes local governments to prohibit or reduce camping during the period of a Code Blue alert and for two days after the alert is issued if beds or other accommodations are not available at homeless shelters located within the affected county. stipulates that it cannot be enforced. The date when the code blue warning ends. You are also prohibited from taking any personal items needed to survive cold weather, including clothing, blankets, tents, sleeping bags, space heaters, stoves, and generators.
Clancy’s amendment would allow state and local agencies, including law enforcement and local health departments, to enforce camping ordinances during Code Blue events even if there is no shelter available. Heaters, stoves, and generators are also excluded from personal protection.
Garvin, who sponsored HB499 in last year’s Congress after at least eight people died without shelter that winter, said he was “disappointed to see a bill that would require people to relocate their camps in dangerous temperatures.” I did,” he said.
