Utah unveils plans for 1,300 bed homeless campus
Katie McKellar
(Utah News Dispatch) After months of tight-lipped searching, state officials have announced the property they’ve zeroed in on for a new 1,300-bed “transformative” homeless campus.
The Utah Office of Homeless Services and the Utah Homeless Services Board announced early Wednesday morning a contractual agreement for the state to acquire a 15.85-acre property that’s currently owned by Salt Lake City.
That property, located at 2520 N. 2200 West, Salt Lake City, is an open field located directly west of I-215 and roughly a mile south from North Salt Lake’s city boundaries.
Just south of the property is a warehouse park, and to its north is a small agricultural neighborhood. Directly to the east, across I-215, is a horse boarding facility, Hunter Stable & Arena. It’s also located relatively near the Jordan River OHV State Recreation Area.
Wednesday’s announcement is a major development for the Utah Office of Homeless Services and the Utah Homeless Board in their efforts to increase the state’s emergency homeless shelter capacity while also envisioning not just a shelter, but a “campus” to help people turn their lives around and move out of homelessness.
“This is more than a campus, it’s a turning point for Utah of reimagining hope,” Wayne Niederhauser, the state’s homeless coordinator, said in a prepared statement. “It will further fulfil the identified need to provide additional beds and treatment in Utah’s homeless response while providing individuals served by the campus a transformative path from crisis to stability and, ultimately, thriving.”
The new homeless campus is envisioned to be a “comprehensive hub where individuals experiencing homelessness can access the support and treatment they need to move from homelessness to stability and long-term self-reliance,” the Utah Office of Homeless Services said in Wednesday morning’s announcement.
“Designed to complement the existing homeless resource centers, shelters and service providers throughout Utah, the transformative campus is a place where those experiencing homelessness find help for recovery, employment, criminal justice assistance, and housing, accessible in a single location,” the office continued.
Niederhauser and his office have been on the hunt for a property for close to a year, after the Utah Homeless Services Board last fall set a deadline of Oct. 1, 2025, for the campus to be built. Niederhauser told Utah News Dispatch last month that that deadline likely won’t be met, since the search has proven difficult and taken longer than previously expected.
Last fall, a delegation of Utah leaders — including Niederhauser, other Homeless Services Board members, officials from Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City and others — traveled to San Antonio, Texas, where they visited Haven for Hope, a nationally recognized nonprofit, which is described as “more than a shelter,” and a “transformational campus” on its website. They envision Utah’s campus will be modeled similarly.
Throughout their search, state officials have declined to publicly share what properties they’ve been considering, citing real estate acquisition privacy considerations.
There’s still work to be done, however, before the campus can be built.
According to state officials, a feasibility study on the property has been completed and environmental studies are ongoing.
“The next steps are to secure funding partnerships, continue to engage with community stakeholders, service providers, and state leaders to bring the campus to actualization,” the Utah Homeless Services Office said. “It is anticipated that the initial operations of the campus will begin in 2027.
Meanwhile, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall — who is also a member of the Utah Homeless Services Board — has been urging the state to act quickly.
On Aug. 13, the day a state report was released showing an 18% rise in Utah homelessness, Mendenhall said that number should be heard as a “battle cry” for Utah lawmakers to do more to address homelessness.
The mayor also warned there’s “inadequate funding to build and non-existent funding to operate a new campus shelter.” For 2025, the Utah Legislature budgeted $50 million in additional state spending for emergency shelter, including $25 million to build “low-barrier shelter.” Some of that was used to keep winter beds open, while some is also meant to be used to site and build the homeless campus.
But that’s not enough money to both build and fund ongoing operations for the new campus, so Mendenhall urged lawmakers to appropriate more during their 2026 general session in January.
Still, the mayor applauded the site announcement as a step forward.
“Our state has long needed more shelter beds and services, and this campus represents a critical step forward in supporting the most vulnerable people in our communities,” Mendenhall said in a prepared statement.
“By providing consistent shelter and wraparound services in one location, this facility could also help Salt Lake City first responders by reducing the number of emergency calls, freeing up law enforcement to focus on public safety, and better connecting people to the help they need,” she added.
Randy Shumway, chair of the Utah Homeless Services Board, applauded the campus vision during a time when Utah’s homeless population has been increasing.
“Despite tremendous effort, resources, and goodwill across the state, homelessness in Utah has continued to worsen — for both those experiencing it and for our communities,” Shumway said. “The proposed Utah campus will take a human-first approach that provides healing and stability while embedding accountability at every stage.”
According to Wednesday’s announcement, state officials envision the homeless campus as a “‘hub and spoke’ system, where individuals can Step In to access core services at a centralized hub, and once stabilized and ready to Step Up, they can Step Out to be connected efficiently to additional specialized resources across the community — the spokes.”
“This model reduces barriers to service access, increases operational efficiency, and strengthens the broader network of support,” the office said. “By expanding capacity and improving the overall system’s accessibility, the campus would enhance the sustainability and effectiveness of the region’s homelessness response.”
Shumway said the campus, “by pairing compassionate support and medical care with clear expectations and opportunities for growth,” it’s envisioned to help people “reclaim their inherent dignity, achieve self-reliance, and live drug-free, crime-free, and contributing lives.”