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SALT LAKE CITY — Shelter the Homeless has launched a multimedia campaign to raise funding for new homeless resource centers. Donations will be matched by the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation up to $10 million, meaning that if the goal is reached, a total of $20 million will be donated to the cause.
The campaign, dubbed ‘Home4Change’, utilizes radio, television, and digital advertising to encourage donors from both public and private sectors to help fund the new model for resource centers. Shelter the Homeless is working with state and local government leaders and major stakeholders in the community to close the downtown community shelter this summer and begin the transition to three new resource centers for homeless individuals.
“Homelessness is a year-round issue,” Preston Cochrane, executive director of Shelter the Homeless, said in a recent press release. “If we are going to end homelessness in our community, we need everyone to rally together. This is a united effort of the public, business leaders, corporations, foundations, non-profits, service providers, and government officials working together to provide the resources to help those experiencing homelessness resolve their immediate housing crisis and rapidly return to stable housing.”
There will be three new homeless resource centers, which are estimated to be operational in June. The Road Home in downtown Salt Lake City will officially be closed in the fall, at which point Rio Grande Street will undergo restoration. Two new homeless centers are being constructed in Salt Lake City and one in South Salt Lake, with one being co-ed, one being just for men, and one being just for women.
Each resource center does not just provide safe places to sleep, they also provide housing assistance, training for employment, skill development for day-to-day life, food, counseling, medical care, and more. According to the press release, a mobile medical clinic will also be on site and clients will be able to access a nurse manager.
Starting this week Home4Change has started a statewide campaign urging Utahns to contribute to the cause, according to the press release. The Miller family has already matched donations of more than $2.3 million in the past 18 months.
“We are grateful to be among those who have contributed their time, resources and funds to help make the new homeless resource center model a reality,” Gail Miller, chairman and owner of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, said in the press release. “There is still a lot of work to be done, and we need everyone to come together to support this critical community effort.”
Donate to the cause on the Home4Change website*.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
