Sudden disappearance of hundreds of homeless people from Salt Lake City following police plan leaves residents baffled
Hundreds of homeless people in Salt Lake City have left
City officials and police are baffled as to why so many have left so suddenly
Stagnant wages and higher rents left many to live on the streets over the years
As a result, violent crime rates started to rise inside the city
What followed was an initiative to boost law enforcement across the region
More than 1,200 people were arrested over the past two months
By DANIEL ROTH
DAILYMAIL.COM
23 September 2017
Hundreds of homeless people in Salt Lake City have mysteriously vanished over recent weeks and residents are baffled as to why.
Following a police operation conducted in mid-August, Utah’s capital city has seen its down and out dwindle dramatically.
Homeless shelters and temporary housing facilities which once offered relief to the destitute in the downtown area are now empty, according to Sgt Brandon Shearer, who seems equally perplexed as he searches for homeless camps during helicopter patrols.
‘I don’t know,’ Shearer told The Guardian when asked where the homeless have gone. ‘That’s a good question.’
While coastal citys like Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York have carried the brunt of the homeless crisis in America for decades, Salt Lake City also faced challenges in trying to house the less fortunate.
Over the past few years, growing homelessness in Salt Lake was partly exacerbated by rising rent costs and stagnant wages. The result saw about 2,200 people in the region go without shelter on any given night, according to The Guardian.
City officials say that many are victims of circumstance, consigned to living on the streets due to economic conditions, mental health issues or opioid addictions.
As a result, the city saw violent crimes staring to rise. Over the past few months, a police shooting and three unrelated murders have been reported in Salt Lake City.
What followed was an initiative by city officials to boost law enforcement by enacting a two-year $67 million-public safety plan.
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