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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and city staff members have unveiled a two-year plan to increase affordable housing, mitigate involuntary displacement and reduce homelessness.
"To save up enough for a 10% down payment in Utah — that is over 12 years and the national average is eight years. So access to stable housing, and especially homeownership, is an incredible challenge that was confirmed by our researcher," Mendenhall said on Tuesday during an affordable housing roundtable discussion.
The multifaceted plan is the second phase of the Thriving in Place study, which was commissioned by the city to gather data on displacement and gentrification in the area. The first phase of the study included documentation of community assets, community outreach and analyses of housing trends.
The Salt Lake City Council allocated funding for the Thriving in Place study in June 2020, and early results of the study were revealed in July 2022. Results of the first phase showed that 81% of community respondents have moderate to very high concerns about gentrification and displacement.
Increasing affordable housing has been a cornerstone of Mendenhall's administration, with most recent budget discussions allocating $20 million in new affordable housing funding, including nearly $17 million coming from the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City. The city has spent $56 million on affordable housing altogether since 2020, not including money proposed during recent discussions.
A 2023 report by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute found that over the past five years, the median income of renters grew by 19% but rents in the Wasatch Front counties increased at roughly double that rate. The report also found that rapidly increasing interest rates — approximately a 46% increase in a single year — are pricing out potential homeowners. The housing market, rising rents and continued inflation have contributed to a growing need.
"What I know is that right now we are serving more people now at our downtown pantry than we have at any time since that facility has opened," said Bill Tibbitts, with the Urban Crossroads Center. "Need is much higher than it was in the past, and so we are seeing a lot of people, which I think is really concerning because the last time we saw this many people at our food pantries was right at the beginning of the Great Recession in 2008."
The 'Thriving in Place' plan
The plan consists of six interrelated goals with 22 strategic priorities beneath the goals. The goals are broken into "outcome goals" and "supportive goals." The goals and some of their strategic priorities include:
- Protect the most vulnerable from displacement: Develop a tenant relocation assistance program; adopt a displaced tenants preference policy; create and expand tenant resources along with a tenant resource center; and promote affordable living and better jobs.
- Preserve the affordable housing we have: Develop and adopt a community benefit policy; acquire and rehabilitate unsubsidized housing; invest in community land trust models; and address short-term rentals impacts on housing.
- Produce more housing, especially affordable housing: Adopt the affordable housing incentives policy; create more diverse housing choices in all areas; and utilize publicly owned property.
- Expand capacity for tenant support and affordable housing: Develop new funding sources; leverage existing resources; and define indicators to track displacement and data systems to track progress.
- Partner and collaborate to maximize impact: Form a city implementation team; work with partners to convene a regional anti-displacement coalition; and launch an ongoing community partnership for high-risk areas.
- Advocate for tenants at the state level: Work to advance tenant rights and affordable housing at the state level.
Tibbitts called the plan "really heartening," adding that the city's effort over the past two years has shifted away from conversations surrounding what can't be done due to state code.
"There are a lot of things that are out of control of cities because of legislative mandates or legislative overreach into what could be municipal decisions that don't exist in the state of Utah. So the urgency is great for us to be creative, in ways that we can stabilize our households," Mendenhall said.
