Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Wayne Niederhauser proposes ending unsheltered homelessness in Utah by 2030.
- He suggests creating a 20-acre transformative campus funded by private and public money.
- Maurice Egan, with personal homelessness experience, joins the Utah Homeless Services Board.
SALT LAKE CITY — One of the state's leaders tasked with tackling homelessness is proposing an ambitious goal.
Wayne Niederhauser, the state homeless coordinator who previously served as Utah Senate president, wants to put a roof over everybody's head by 2030.
He made that declaration during a meeting Thursday of the Utah Homeless Services Board, saying the state should go after "an aspirational, bold goal" similar to President John F. Kennedy's challenge to Americans to reach the moon by the end of the 1960s.
"I threw it out as an option. I'm not saying that's the goal we should have," Niederhauser told KSL TV in an interview after the meeting. "I proposed something to think about, and that's to end unsheltered homelessness by 2030."
Unsheltered homelessness refers to people who are camping or sleeping in places they shouldn't.
"We just don't want anybody being in a situation that they don't have a roof over their head," Niederhauser said.
Part of that, he said, is building what's called a "transformative campus" of at least 20 acres, with shelter and services on site. It would be paid for with both private and public money.
"We've been looking at several properties," Niederhauser said, adding they are primarily located in Salt Lake County.
According to a state website, initial plans called for a final site announcement to be made in summer 2025. Niederhauser didn't give a definite timeline, but he said he anticipated an announcement coming in "three to six months."
Meanwhile, there's a new, unique voice on the state's homeless services board – Maurice "Moe" Egan, who once lived on the streets in San Francisco.
"I'm going on 19 years clean and sober," Egan said. "I was homeless in the Tenderloin district for 10 years, so I got a good idea of what's out there and how to help a person get to the other side."
Egan moved to Utah nine years ago and is director of neighbor recruitment at The Other Side Village, a tiny-home community on Salt Lake City's west side to help those who experience chronic homelessness.
"I know what worked for me, and I know what didn't work for me," Egan said. "Hopefully, I'll be able to give some input about my own personal experiences."
The addition of Egan came after lawmakers passed HB329, which requires someone "with lived experience of homelessness" to serve on the Utah Homeless Services Board. In a news release Thursday, state leaders also said the board is now "smaller, more efficient, and designed to make faster, more effective decisions."
"By streamlining its operations and incorporating the voice of those with lived experience, we can ensure that our strategies are not only efficient but also empathetic and effective," Niederhauser said. "This is about addressing the root causes of homelessness and empowering people to build sustainable, thriving futures."
