Pioneer Communities/Main Street Program

State Community Services Office

Lee, a 63-year-old Vietnamese woman, came to the Travelers Aid Society shelter from California. She was living in the shelter for over a year, and all efforts to obtain resources for her were exhausted. Lee demonstrated signs of chronic mental illness. This factor, combined with the stress of her prolonged stay in the shelter, became detrimental to her health. She withdrew from others and rarely left the building. Several months ago, Lee was placed in a home known as Swede Town in Salt Lake City, a complex of four units for troubled women. Since moving there, Lee participates in a community garden and a shopping group and enjoys the company of the other residents. The stability of living in a home of her own offers her the opportunity to manage her mental illness.

Highlights

The State Community Services Office (SCSO) provides essential funding and technical support throughout the state to dedicated service providers. Services provided by SCSO and its partners throughout the state include:

Homeless shelters across Utah provided 229,000 shelter nights to people who were homeless 406,500 hot meals were provided 1,400 persons made the transition from homelessness to employment.

Women’s Services: The Travelers Aid Society recently initiated a housing program that serves women who are mentally ill. Women who are placed in the program have had numerous lengthy stays at the shelter. Participants in the program reside in a newly remodeled home in Salt Lake

City owned by the Olene Walker Housing Trust Fund. Life skills are taught through case management. Women receive food through the “Brown Bag” program, which is part of the Utah

Food Bank, and receive mental health care from Valley Mental Health. Utah’s Homeless Trust Fund: SCSO also helps publicize the yearly campaign to encourage

Utahns to contribute via their state tax returns to Utah’s Homeless Trust Fund. Income from the fund helps communities provide services for residents with permanent housing and related necessities. Emergency Food Network Funds: The SCSO distributes Emergency Food Network Funds.

These funds are distributed to emergency food pantries throughout Utah. There has been a significant increase in the demand statewide for emergency food services. With housing costs increasing, many impoverished Utahns rely on the emergency food network for essential nutritional support.