SALT LAKE CITY — After visiting with several formerly homeless veterans last week, Gov. Gary R. Herbert encouraged Utahns to donate to the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund on their 2018 Utah state tax returns.
As a new incentive this year, Utahns can also donate online.
Herbert and community advocate Pamela Atkinson toured Freedom Landing, meeting with several residents who had been homeless in the past and now live in the Housing Authority of Salt Lake City’s 109-unit permanent supportive housing facility, according to a press release.
“Veterans are more likely to experience homelessness than civilians, and we need to do our part to help break that cycle,” Herbert said in the release.
While veteran homelessness in Utah has decreased by 30 percent since 2011, the 2018 Point-in-Time Count still found that there were 222 veterans experiencing homelessness in Utah on that one night. That night, 2,876 people were found to be homeless statewide. During the course of the year, approximately 15,000 Utahns experience homelessness for some amount of time.
Read more: State homeless report shows increase in ‘unsheltered’ individuals in Southern Utah
“Having a safe place to stay makes a world of difference for someone experiencing homelessness,” Atkinson said in the press release. “Your donations help support these housing opportunities and other services that can literally save lives.”
When Utahns donate to the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund on their state tax form, they are helping to fund critical services for vulnerable homeless populations. All of the donated funds are distributed to agencies statewide that provide vital resources for those who are experiencing homelessness.
The homeless trust fund is leveraged with other state funding to provide the maximum impact for the following services:
- Emergency services – temporary shelters, soup kitchens, day centers and outreach services.
- Supportive services – varying levels of case management used to help more people move into stable in housing.
- Housing services – rapid rehousing, transitional housing, rental assistance, onsite case management and security.
Services providers statewide receive funds through a competitive grant application process, including organizations in:
- Cedar City
- Davis County
- Juab County
- Layton
- Logan
- Midvale
- Ogden
- Orem
- Park City
- Provo
- Richfield
- Salt Lake City
- St. George
- Tooele County
- Uintah County
- Utah County
- Vernal
- Wasatch County
- Weber County
- West Jordan
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