Our community here in North Salt Lake, UT cherishes our neighborhood's safety, serenity, and the communal spirit that binds us together. We are a place that values the education of our children, and as such, several schools have found a home here including several that serve a lot of people from outside of our community. We relish in the joyous sounds of our children playing in our parks and walking home safely from these schools. However, the proposed homeless shelter in our area threatens this harmony we hold dear.

The issue is not only the potential disturbance but a lack of infrastructure needed to accommodate an influx of homeless individuals. With no public transport to cater to them, this underprivileged demographic could find themselves stranded, ultimately furthering their struggles. There are no hospitals or other medical institutions nearby that are able to adequately help a homeless population and the addition of such a population will stretch the service of the single first responder resource readily available to our community.

Moreover, our community, like many, is managing by sharing resources among ourselves to ensure every resident's welfare. Introducing a homeless shelter and implicitly inviting more people into this delicate balance may cause a strain on scarce resources such as a single grocery store, and few food places in a close vicinity that may prove detrimental to all of us.

Homeless populations admittedly need help. Still, pushing an underserved population into an area ill-equipped to handle their unique needs does not solve the problem. Instead, it merely shifts it. With a statewide increase in homelessness of 12% in 2019 according to the State Homeless Report, it is clear that a more comprehensive solution is needed.

We implore our county commissioners and representatives to rethink the location for this homeless shelter.

Our plea is not against the homeless, but rather against a solution that would both harm our community and do little to help those in need. Let's find a better equipped location for this shelter, where public transport, community resources, and specialized care will be readily available.

Protect our neighborhood's essence and help homeless individuals more effectively. Sign this petition.