An Open Letter to the Salt Lake County Site Evaluation Committee

March 20, 2017

As elected representatives for the residents and businesses of West Valley City and its
surrounding communities, we are voicing our staunch opposition to the proposed sites
for a new homeless shelter.

West Valley City is just beginning to reap the rewards of sustainable growth and
economic development that our residents, business owners, and civic leaders have been
working towards for years. As Utahs second-largest city, West Valley City is vital to our
states success in navigating the challenges we will face together as our population
doubles in the coming decades. The balanced growth of well-planned communities,
smart economic development, and corporate investment have shown that West Valley
City can be a model for how a major city can grow while maintaining a small-town feel.

However, the suddenly announced plan to place a large homeless shelter in West Valley
without any prior discussion with city leaders, threatens to upset the progress that we
have made. Our residents and business owners have made it clear that they do not want
to be forced to become the site of a homeless shelter, particularly one as large as is being
proposed.

There are many reasons for our opposition to these sites. Chiefly among them: safety,
compatibility with our communities, and impacts to businesses and homeowners. The
surrounding area already holds all the states halfway houses, excluding one in Ogden,
and the states only parole violator center. West Valley City has made a concerted effort
to address transitional and affordable housing for some of our most vulnerable
community members. West Valley City is currently home to over 33,000 affordable
housing units. We are already part of the solution and our communities should not be
solely responsible for providing all these services that should be scattered throughout
the state.

West Valley City is part of the economic engine that makes Utah great. We are doing our
fair share to ensure that our residents can find work, support their families, and live in a
community that is safe, diverse, and welcoming. We strongly encourage Salt Lake
County and their partners to return to the drawing board and come up with a solution
that does not simply sweep the states homeless population onto the west side of the
county where they will be out of sight and out of mind.

Respectfully,

Senator Karen Mayne

Senator Luz Escamilla
Senator Daniel Thatcher
Representative Angela Romero
Representative Elizabeth Weight