Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
- A Fruit Heights church has pulled an offer to host a temporary homeless shelter on cold nights after community backlash.
- Many Fruit Heights residents expressed surprise over the lack of notification about the plan.
- Davis County is struggling to finalize a "code blue" plan amid community opposition.
FRUIT HEIGHTS — A Fruit Heights church that had previously volunteered to host a warming center for those experiencing homelessness in Davis County has pulled its offer after "anxiety and discord" in the community.
The Mountain Road Church leadership announced its decision to withdraw the church from Davis County's code blue plan during a Fruit Heights community meeting on Wednesday.
The meeting came after residents expressed surprise at the lack of notification regarding the plan. The Fruit Heights City Council room was filled with residents Wednesday, with the overflow crowd being directed to a room below to watch a livestream of the meeting.
"We are grieved that the code blue warming center has become such a divisive and emotional issue in Fruit Heights. Never did we intend to bring anxiety and discord into our community. In fact, as a church, we want to bring unity, harmony and love into our community," Mountain Road Church Pastor Don Krafft said.
"Mountain Road went into this adventure with the best of intentions. However, now this issue has become one of contention, anger, and even division in this precious community we are so glad to be a part of. We certainly do not want to be the cause of such angst," he said.
The pastor's announcement that it would no longer host the Davis code blue facility prompted cheers from the crowd.
During the meeting, several residents had expressed their frustration with the proposal.
Resident Scott Heusser said, "It's not a place that should be here in Fruit Heights. And I'm just being honest with you, I looked at both sides on this, and it's just not a place for it."
Another resident questioned how many homeless people are in the Kaysville and Fruit Heights area, and suggested other areas with more homeless people might be better served by a shelter.
"I am all for helping those less fortunate. I just don't see why we would bus the homeless to Fruit Heights," Heusser said.
"I think most of us are here and concerned about this; we're concerned about homeless people; we want to help, but what our concern is about how it happened. That no one let us know. When you're doing this to other communities, what's your plan to be transparent to let the people who would be affected by it know about it? We didn't, and that's why we're here," one resident questioned.
"What are the sanctions are if we decide that we don't want this in Davis County, period? Do we have ways to deal with that? I don't want this in any city's backyard, not just ours," one woman said.
After, Fruit Heights Mayor John Pohlman said he had only learned of the church's decision an hour-and-a-half prior. Pohlman also apologized to the growing crowd.
"In my conversation with some of the residents, I have to use these words of, like, compassion and our need to do service ... and I truly apologize for the feeling that I've caused with any residents, talking to you about doing what was right, what was not right. I never anticipated how much division this would have caused residents, and I'm truly sorry for any cause of this much contention and this much division within our community," Pohlman said.
On Oct. 15, Pohlman had informed the City Council of the plans that would include using a city bus that would stop at several locations and bring unsheltered people to the church starting around 7 p.m. on code blue nights — when temperatures are expected to drop to 18 degrees Fahrenheit or colder. They would stay as the church until 7 a.m. the next morning, and then the bus would drop them off where they were picked up. Individuals would have remained in the facility from those hours, and a sheriff's deputy would have provided security, according to the proposed plan.
"It is out of the city's control," Pohlman told the council last month, calling it a "win-win" and emphasizing the need to help the unsheltered. When asked by a council member during that Oct. 15 meeting when residents would be informed of the city's plans, Pohlman said the city is not required to notify residents because the decision was made between the state, county and Mountain Road Church leadership.
City manager Darren Frandsen also lamented the issue becoming "a wedge" between neighbors.
"Fruit Height has always been a community that is willing to serve and help those around them," he said in a prepared statement. "Each of us has been given free will to help and serve how we feel is right for us. The way people treat each other in this country has become very hateful if there is a disagreement. Fruit Heights has always been better than that. Over the past few days, I have struggled when I read neighbor saying to neighbor, 'You are not being Christlike' if you do or don't support the warming center. I believe the fear, hate, and self-righteousness in ourselves will continue to divide Fruit Heights."
Frandsen asked residents to be mindful, considerate and respectful of others, even in disagreement.
Davis County's ongoing problems cementing plan
Davis County was required by state law to submit a code blue plan to the Utah Office of Homeless Services on Aug. 1. According to HB499, signed into law in 2023, counties with populations of at least 175,000 — which includes Davis County — are required this year to submit a winter response plan to address the emergency shelter needs of individuals experiencing homelessness from Oct. 15 to April 30. Code blue is issued by a local health department when temperatures are expected to reach 18 degrees and below, with wind chill.
The law also states that if a county opts to pursue a year-round option, its deadline would be extended to August 2025. But Davis County was still required to provide a code blue plan for this year. Its original plan was ultimately rejected by the State Office of Homeless Services because it exceeded the funding allocated by the state to the county.
The Davis County task force proposed to the state to purchase a bus that would house 20 people when an alert was issued. That plan was rejected, and the county and the state were then approached by homeless service provider Switchpoint regarding the provider's plans to submit an offer on a property in North Salt Lake. That proposal was overwhelmingly rejected by North Salt Lake residents and the North Salt Lake City Council after it came to light.
State Homeless Coordinator Wayne Niederhauser met with Davis County Council of Government on Oct. 16 to help the county come into compliance regarding code blue. Just last week, Davis County had solidified its plan for code blue with three alternate locations if for some reason the Mountain Road Church was unable to host one night.
The first code blue for the county was called on Tuesday, but no action was taken. Future plans are uncertain, but the three other locations identified could be operated. Those locations included the county's emissions and inspection center building, the Clearfield Senior Center and the Valley View Golf Course.
