Salt Lake Tribune reporter Jose Davila IV has written about the emerging schism over how to best address the issue of homelessness in Utah. According to his reporting, those who support and staff the system as it currently exists say their housing-first approach works, and more robust funding would only improve its effectiveness. On the other side are advocates such as Devon Kurtz. A lobbyist employed by a conservative think tank, Kurtz argues that some homeless individuals, either because of drug addiction or mental illness, are a threat to the community and incapable of caring for themselves. Part or even all of the homeless campus, he says, should be reserved for people committed there by the state for drug or psychiatric treatment. Davila and Kurtz join us to talk about the dueling visions for homeless policy in Utah.
GUESTS
- Jose Davila IV is a reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune covering Salt Lake City's west side communities.
- Devon Kurtz is the the director of public safety policy at the Cicero Institute, a conservative think tank based in Austin, Texas.