The State Homeless Coordinating Committee decides how to use the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund. Some of the funding comes from donations from the Utah State Individual Income Tax form. Programs include Critical Needs Housing, Emergency Solutions Program, the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund, the Homeless Management Information System, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Programs provide statewide funding and a database for coordinating client services to social service agencies for homeless services.
During the 2015 General Session, the Legislature appropriated for Fiscal Year 2016, $6,796,100 from all sources for Homeless Committee. This is a 16.9 percent reduction from Fiscal Year 2015 revised estimated amounts from all sources. The total includes $1,622,700 from the General/Education Funds, a reduction of 60.6 percent from revised Fiscal Year 2015 estimates.
In addition to statewide compensation and internal service fund cost increases, the following appropriation adjustments were made during the 2015 General Session:
For the most recent completed fiscal year, the following information represents the purposes for which the money was used:
The State Homeless Coordinating Committee was established to facilitate a better understanding of the concept of homelessness in the community and to assist in the allocation of homeless funds received from the state and federal governments. Funds are disbursed in a competitive and/or formula-driven process to private and public non-profit providers of homeless services, local housing authorities, and associations of governments to support efforts to create affordable housing, shelter and support services for homeless individuals and families, and victims of domestic violence. In addition, the Committee is responsible for compiling data and reporting on homeless and poverty trends in Utah, as required by the federal government. The Department indicates that the nationally chronically homeless consume over half of the homeless resources and represent about 10% of the total homeless population.
The State Homeless Coordinating Committee provides funds through the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund and other programs to public and non-profit entities that provide services to the homeless, low income, and victims of domestic violence across the state. More than 80 agencies provide services that assist these families and individuals to become self-sufficient. Methods used include, but are not limited to, rental assistance, temporary shelter, transitional housing, case management, and mental health services.
The State Homeless Coordinating Committee also coordinates the State's 10-Year Plan to end chronic homelessness. In concert with the Housing First model, the program coordinates permanent supportive housing with comprehensive integrated services such as mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, social security issues, veteran's issues, etc. The 10-Year Plan was drafted in 2004 and local implementation continues.
The Committee consists of the following members or their designees as per UCA 35A-8-601:
- Lieutenant governror
- State planning coordinator
- State superintendent of public instruction
- Chair of the board of trustees of the Utah Housing Corporation
- Executive director of the Department of Human Services
- Executive director of the Department of Corrections
- Executive director of the Department of Workforce Services
- Executive director of the Department of Health
- Optional membership at the discretion of the governor
- local governments
- local housing authorities
- local law enforcement agencies
- federal and private agencies and organizations concerned with the homeless
- persons with a mental illness
- elderly
- single-parent families
- substance abusers
- persons with a disability
COBI contains unaudited data as presented to the Legislature by state agencies at the time of publication. For audited financial data see the State of Utah's Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports.