As February reaches subfreezing temperatures, controversy looms over plans to shelter homeless populations throughout Davis and Weber Counties.
Homeless shelters in these counties have set up temporary places of shelter, known as warming centers, along with emergency plans to house and transport those experiencing homelessness throughout the area.
These installments come after the Utah State Legislature passed House Bill 298 in February of 2024, requiring certain counties across the state to draft strategic plans to address homelessness and provide immediate shelter during extreme cold weather, called Code Blue, events.
“For Code Blue to be issued, the National Weather Service is forecasting a temperature or wind chill of 18 degrees Fahrenheit or colder for two hours or more,” Jon Wilson, a meteorologist for the Salt Lake City office of the National Weather Service, said. “These are issued so local officials can take action to open shelters.”
Urban areas like Weber County have been pressured to revise emergency responses as they experience a growth in local homeless populations. The Lantern House, a homeless shelter in Ogden, is among the facilities that have established a temporary shelter if temperatures dip below the Code Blue status of 18 degrees.
“Forty-three percent of 3,308 individuals we served last fiscal year were new to homelessness or experiencing homelessness for the first time,” Lauren Navidomskis, the director of Lantern House, said. “Although this statistic is only for those accessing services, we believe that this could be a relative amount for all of those in Weber County.”
However, as warming centers stand by for a possible Code Blue alert, Davis County has erupted with outcry from both sides of the issue to support unhoused populations.
Earlier this month, Kaysville Mayor, Tami Tran, sent out a statement on Facebook informing residents about Davis County’s decision to demolish the Layton City warming center sooner than expected. Tran said the county-owned Emissions Testing Center at 520 Old Mill Lane will serve as this year’s warming center in its place.
“While this is not a city decision, we as a city recognize the immediate need to help those in crisis due to the demolition of the current warming center facility,” Tran said in a Facebook post. “If you would like to volunteer at the warming center, there are limited opportunities over the next several weeks.”
The decision to move the Davis County warming center to Kaysville has faced backlash since its announcement in November 2024. Kaysville residents voiced opposition to the decision at a Davis County Commission public meeting, stating concerns over public safety.
“The people that are coming to these homeless shelters do not want help,” a Kaysville resident said at the public meeting. “They’re drug addicts. They do horrific things. I have small children. This is not why we elected you.”
Although substance use is seen as a barrier to self-sufficiency, homeless centers do not recognize it as the primary reason for homelessness.
“The leading cause for homelessness in Weber County is the cost of housing and the accessibility of housing,” Navidomskis said.
Tran voiced Kaysville’s opposition in her recent statement saying, “Our position remains unchanged: Kaysville City does not support or endorse a shelter in our community.”
However, as February passes by, homeless individuals may not benefit from county warming centers as the temperatures remain above Code Blue levels.
“It is likely that warmer than normal conditions will push in from the end of the month into the next,” Wilson said. “By the start of next month, the average minimum temperature at Ogden is almost 30 degrees Fahrenheit, so it is possible that there won’t be any more Code Blue this season.”
Weber and Davis County stay on alert in the event temperatures do drop.
