📢 City Council Meeting Tonight at 7:00 PM 📢
An update on the Davis County Code Blue Shelter is on the agenda. The public is welcome to attend.
Join us at City Hall to stay informed.
Posted 11/7/2024
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Homeless Shelter Update – July 31, 2024
As you may know from previous City communications, the Utah Legislature passed House Bill 298 (HB298) in 2024, which, among other things, requires counties of the second class, including Davis County, to convene a Winter Response Task Force to develop a plan for providing shelter for homeless individuals between October 15 and April 30. Per the statute, the winter response plan must be submitted to the state Office of Homeless Services on or before August 1, 2024. The statute also requires the Task Force to submit a plan for a temporary shelter during a “Code Blue Alert” to house unsheltered individuals on days when the temperature is forecasted to reach 15 degrees. In accordance with the state statute, the Davis County Winter Response Task Force comprises mayors from several cities, including Kaysville, and is chaired by the Davis County Commissioner. 
The Task Force has considered a number of possible responses to the Code Blue shelter requirement, including converting various Davis County-owned facilities into temporary shelters during Code Blue nights. As many already know, county facilities that have been considered included two locations in Kaysville among other locations throughout Davis County: the Central Davis Senior Center (21 E Center St) adjacent to City Hall and the old county emissions testing center (20 N 600 W) directly north of Deseret Mills. Mayor Tran and the Kaysville City Council have strongly opposed any location in Kaysville being used for a shelter and have instead proposed an alternate solution that the Task Force recommend to the state that a warming bus be purchased for Code Blue in lieu of converting any brick-and-mortar building into a temporary shelter. The County Winter Response Task Force began to take interest in the warming bus proposal following much research by Kaysville City, including calls with cities across the US and Canada that have used warming buses. The City’s 
research included Mayor Tran and her husband taking time from their recent vacation in Florida to meet with a non-profit organization that converts old commercial buses into warming buses with 16 to 20 private sleeping pods.
Kaysville is grateful for the collaborative efforts of the Task Force and the willingness of the Task Force to agree on an innovative alternative to a temporary or permanent shelter. The Task Force voted unanimously on Monday, July 29, to submit the warming bus plan to be funded by the state (a cost of approximately $150,000 plus ongoing operational costs). The State now has a two-week deadline to review the plan and determine whether it is compliant with the state legislation.
Additional details on Kaysville’s recommendation to the Task Force and its response to the County Commissioner can be viewed on the City’s website along with other general information on the homeless shelter topic. Please stay tuned for updates on the City’s website and Facebook page.
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Homeless Shelter Update – July 12, 2024
County Commissioner Stevenson, the current chair of the Winter Response Task Force in Davis County, has requested that each of the 15 mayors throughout Davis County provide at least one location within their respective cities that could serve as a Code Blue warming shelter. This will assist the Task Force in preparing a Code Blue plan, which must be submitted to the State by August 1.
Following is Kaysville’s response, which was sent to Commissioner Stevenson on July 11:
We are currently talking with cities in Canada and the US that have implemented warming bus programs and are preparing a white paper that we will share with the task force. We are researching the effectiveness of warming bus programs which save lives. Our research so far indicates that warming buses create unity within communities. Warming buses remove the fear of a permanent facility, unite communities in the common goal of helping people help themselves. Our goal is to contribute to the task force by working on a solution to accomplish the long-term goal of the state (self-reliance). Our white paper will include start-up cost, staffing, yearly maintenance, ongoing costs, and as much detail as possible. After meeting with unsheltered people, past and present, touring multiple facilities across the state, speaking with the State Office of Homeless Services, legislators, and other experts in this space, we recommend warming buses as perhaps the best overall solution for Code Blue in Davis County. Buses also address the inherent transportation challenges associated with brick-and-mortar shelters. Each warming bus includes a bathroom and 16 to 20 private sleeping pods. We believe that buses are as cost effective, if not more so, than brick-and-mortar facilities.
Additionally, Safe Harbor Shelter in Kaysville (for men, women, children) currently has 33 beds and is the only domestic violence shelter in all of Davis County. Francis Peak Apartments in Kaysville (Mercy Housing) is the largest subsidized housing facility in Davis County. Francis Peak has 120 units (approx. 540 beds) single, double and multifamily, senior (age 65+) and special needs housing (people with HIV/AIDS, formerly homeless and people with physical and mental disabilities). Davis Behavioral Health in Layton, (sits on the Layton-Kaysville border) is building a facility to be completed in 2025 with 60 beds for permanent supportive housing.
The Task Force continues to evaluate Code Blue options throughout Davis County. No decision on a Code Blue plan has been made to date. Please stay tuned for additional updates and information, including the City’s white paper on warming buses. An update will also be provided at the next Kaysville City Council meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 18.
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What is driving the requirement to establish a homeless shelter in Davis County?
The Utah Legislature passed House Bill 499 (HB499) in 2023, which among other things, requires counties of the second class, including Davis County, to convene a Winter Overflow Taskforce to develop a winter response plan for providing shelter for homeless individuals between October 15 and April 30. Additionally, Davis County would be required to provide temporary shelter during a “Code Blue” to house unsheltered individuals on days when the temperature is forecasted to reach 15 degrees for a period of two hours or more during the coming 24-hour period.
Who makes the decision where within Davis County the shelter will be placed?
As required by HB499, the Davis County Council of Governments established a Winter Overflow Taskforce which includes seven Mayors and one County Commissioner. Kaysville Mayor Tamara Tran volunteered to participate on the Taskforce. The Taskforce is responsible for finding a suitable location for the Winter Overflow and Code Blue response shelter. The Taskforce is charged with identifying location(s) throughout the County for a Winter Overflow and Code Blue response shelter, but no decisions have been made.
Is Kaysville being considered as a location for a homeless shelter?
The Winter Overflow Taskforce is evaluating potential sites across the entire County. This process has been collaborative and has involved evaluating every possible option for fulfilling the requirements of the law. While the County’s emissions testing center at 20 North 600 West in Kaysville is one of a number of locations that has been discussed, the Taskforce has made no recommendations as to the County's response to the requirements of the current legislation including the site of a Winter Overflow and Code Blue response shelter.
Does Kaysville City have a say in where the shelter will be placed, and what is the City doing to look out for the best interests of the Kaysville community?
HB499 gives little control to individual cities as to where the Winter Overflow and Code Blue response shelter ultimately land. The Taskforce will recommend an option to the State of Utah Office of Homeless Services, which will decide whether that option fulfills the requirements of the legislation. The recommendation for a location will be decided by a majority vote of the eight members of the Taskforce, of which Kaysville Mayor Tamara Tran is a member.
While once again, the Task Force has made no recommendations as to the County’s response relating to the site of a Winter Overflow and Code Blue response shelter, Mayor Tran and the City Council recognize that Kaysville is not a suitable location for a shelter for a number of reasons. The Mayor and Council remain strongly opposed to a shelter in Kaysville and have never at any time advocated or supported any type of shelter in Kaysville.
The Taskforce does not believe that a temporary Winter Overflow and Code Blue response shelter addresses the root causes of homelessness in Davis County. The Taskforce’s preferred approach is a long-term community resource center with services and permanent supportive housing that helps homeless individuals stabilize and get back on their feet.
The Taskforce recommended that an appropriation request be made to the state legislature for $30 million dollars one-time funds and $2 million on-going to create a permanent solution for addressing homelessness in Davis County. The State legislature has not yet made a decision as to whether that appropriation request will be granted.
When will a decision be made?
The Taskforce is currently waiting to hear whether the State will fund the recommended appropriation request and change the legislation to provide additional time to develop a permanent solution. If no funding is provided and no changes are made to the legislation, the Taskforce will be legally required to submit a plan to the State by August 1, 2024 that outlines Davis County’s temporary Winter Overflow and Code Blue response.
How can Kaysville residents stay informed about this issue?
Please follow us at www.facebook.com/kaysvillecity/ or check our homepage under “Latest News & Events” at www.kaysville.gov for the latest information. You may also attend any city council meeting at 7:00 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of each month. The County’s proposed homeless shelter was posted and discussed as a work item on the January 4, 2024 City Council agenda. It was also discussed as a work item on the October 19, 2023 Council agenda as the County sought feedback from cities throughout Davis County about allowing billboards along I-15 as part of a proposal that would allow the County to purchase privately owned land for a homeless shelter in Clearfield. Although the homeless shelter topic will not be a work item at every council meeting, the City will report any notable updates from the County at each meeting. Residents are also always welcomed to provide public comment on this or any other topic at any city council meeting. Should you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to email us at mailbox@kaysville.gov.
(Posted 2/3/2024)