On Thursday, January 18, 2024, representatives from dozens of faith and community organizations will be gathering in the Board Room at the Utah Capitol Building for Faith, Hunger and Homelessness Day to express support for legislative proposal that would reduce homelessness. The agenda for the one hour gathering will include:
- Representatives from eleven different faith communities explaining why their faith traditions compel them to support efforts to reduce homelessness and specific ways their congregations are engaged with efforts to reduce homelessness,
- Students from the Salt Lake Center for Science presenting their perspective on child and youth homelessness,
- Wayne Niederhauser, Director of the Utah Office of Homeless Services, explaining the potential impact of proposals for reducing homelessness contained in Governor Cox’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
- Representative Steve Eliason describing how legislation from the past two years has enhanced Utah’s efforts to get people indoors and to help people move out of homelessness,
- Representative Carol Spackman Moss explaining how her bill, HB 141, will increase funding for low income housing to prevent homelessness, and,
- Representative Jim Dunnigan sharing information about his bill to expand the use of Medicaid funding to pay for services to help people move out of homelessness and avoid becoming homeless again in the future.
Faith, Hunger and Homelessness Day is hosted by the Faith and Advocacy Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness, also known as FACE Hunger and Homelessness. FACE Hunger and Homelessness is a project of Crossroads Urban Center that brings people from different faith and ethical traditions together support policies that would reduce hunger and homelessness in Utah. For several years the top priority of this coalition has been the reduction of homelessness for families with children. Prior to 2023 this coalition went by the name “the Coalition of Religious Communities”.
