We’ve had unseasonally warm fall weather, but cold is coming. Imagine if you lost your job, had a major medical episode, no health insurance, couldn’t make your rent for a few months and ended up on the streets here. Where would you go seek shelter? During the Great Depression in the early 1930’s, Utah’s unemployment rate was 36%-the fourth highest in the nation-and we had homeless tent cities (aka ‘Hoovervilles’) just like we find in the state today. Utah’s ‘point in time count’ found about 3,700 individuals experiencing homelessness during one night in January here last year.

The state has several shelters offering different services and include:

-the Rescue Mission: emergency services and recovery programs. One can stay there for three to four months while staff works to help you get secure employment, save money and get into housing (Salt Lake location 463 S. 400 West, Ogden location: 2775 Wall Avenue)

-Volunteers of America: This non-profit runs several centers, including The Geraldine E. King Women’s Resource Center for women 18 years or older at 131 E. 700 South, SLC) with shelter for up to 200 women and the Youth Resource Center for individuals age 15-22 (888 S. 400 West, SLC).

-the Road Home oversees the Pamela Atkinson Resource Center for men (3380 S. 1000 West, SLC), The Gail Miller Resource Center (242 W. Paramount Ave., SLC), and the Connie Crosby Family Resource Center, aka the Midvale Family Resource Center (529 W. 9^th Ave., Midvale).

-Catholic Community Services provides daytime refuge for those who are unsheltered and a warm place in the winter to stay out of the cold during the day at the Weigand Resource Center at 437 W. 200 South in SLC.

-Lantern House (269 W. 33^rd St., Ogden) is the largest shelter in Northern Utah offering shelter for men, women and families of all sizes and pets are welcome. Iron County’s Care and Share Emergency Shelter program houses around 400 individuals and families per year suffering from housing instability (244 W. 900 N., Cedar City). Moab doesn’t have a general homeless shelter but has a domestic emergency shelter for female and adolescent survivors and a few non-profits who can assist in finding emergency shelter.

-Switchpoint Community Resource Center in St. George (948 N. 1300 West) is Southern Utah’s go-to shelter. They also are in charge of the 50 micro homes/shelters for the winter that just opened up at 548 S. 700 West in SLC, the second year in a row for this program that was fund this year by our legislature.

You can call the Homeless Connections Hotline at 801-999-9999 for bed availability at shelters in the state.

If you’re not suffering from lack of housing, consider donating to any of these programs this winter either yourself with money, foodstuffs and clothes or volunteering your time. Or do a food/clothing drive at your office, neighborhood or condo complex. Most of these groups always need donations and many have foodbanks connected to the general community.