What is the city doing about homelessness?
This issue is an important focus for Sandy's City Council and for the City of Sandy staff.
In 2022, the City Council adopted Ordinance 2022-12, amending Chapter 8.35 of the Municipal Code to prohibit camping in certain places in the city including:
- All city parks, trails, and areas designated as parks and open space (POS) under SMC chapter 17.32.
- All areas designated as flood, slope, and hazard areas under SMC Chapter 17.60
- Any area on a sidewalk, unless the camping is done in a manner that maintains a clear, continuous sidewalk width of at least five feet
- All real property upon which city facilities are located
- All city owned parking lots
- All public property located within an area zoned for residential use under SMC Title 17
- All publicly owned property located along and between Proctor Avenue and Pioneer Avenue, and along Pleasant Street between Bluff Road and Ten Eyck Road.
City Council created a goal for the 2021-2023 session to:
- Collaborate with regional and community partners to address homelessness
- Appoint a homelessness task force
- Create a plan to address homelessness in Sandy
The Homelessness Task Force has begun meeting and will continue to work on developing proactive and collaborative strategies for dealing with the important issue of homelessness.
This task force will use a two pronged approach:
- Explore options through City policies and ordinances
- Connect with other agencies and the Social Services Task Force to address service gaps in the area
Additionally, the Sandy Police Department has added a new Homelessness Liaison position to improve the City's response to homelessness in real time.
