SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced Friday she has created a new position within her office specifically devoted to homelessness and she s picked a member of the City Council to fill it.
Councilman Andrew Johnston will leave his west-side District 2 seat as well as his position as vice president of program operations for Volunteers of America Utah to take the post. He s expected to start in the new role in the coming weeks, though a specific date hasn t been selected yet, according to Mendenhall s staff.
Mendenhall and Johnston made the announcement during a press conference held on a grassy median near the intersection of 800 West and North Temple, where Johnston has held outdoor meetings with this constituents, from people experiencing homelessness to business owners, on Fridays since June.
Salt Lake City Councilman Andrew Johnston will leave his west-side District 2 seat as well as his position as vice president of program operations for Volunteers of America Utah to take a newly created position to address homelessness issues.
Under a Salt Lake City overpass, a new type of homeless encampment takes shape but how long will it last? Taylor Stevens
Nestled on either side of an out-of-use railroad track, dozens of tents reach toward the top of a Salt Lake City overpass a concrete umbrella that provides a reprieve from snow, hail and rain but keeps in the smell and sound of crackling fires and the laughter and shouts of the people who live here.
This is the scene at Camp Last Hope, a homeless encampment located in an industrial area in Utah’s capital city near 900 South and 500 West that has been home to dozens of unsheltered residents since early last month.