SALT LAKE CITY — After his wife of 35 years died, Travis Gates said his life was never the same.
A self-described “people person,” Gates became depressed and began isolating himself. He struggled with homelessness and health problems and felt ill-equipped to perform even basic tasks.
“She took care of everything,” he said during a recent interview with FOX 13 News. “First time I had to go grocery shopping by myself, I didn’t even know how to use the credit card machine.”
Then, Gates said his life changed again – this time for the better – when he came to The INN Between, a Salt Lake City nonprofit that provides hospice, medical respite and post-hospitalization services to people experiencing homelessness.
Since arriving at the facility, he said he’s “starting to be able to do things for myself,” including working in the center’s kitchen and helping care for the flowers out front.
“I feel confident,” Gates said, “and without being bragging or anything like that, I’m proud of myself.”
As Utah’s population ages – and more older adults experience homelessness – The INN Between says it's seeing "a lot more older homeless individuals that have higher medical needs,” according to Jillian Olmsted, the organization’s executive director.
The INN Between is now working to expand its current location on Salt Lake City’s east side to 80 beds, with the goal of helping more people like Gates as demand for its services grows.
“Right now we have 63 beds and they’re typically full all the time; sometimes we’re cleaning a room just for a new admit to come in same day,” Olmsted said. “We don’t know if 80 beds will be enough to meet the need in the community in the future. But we feel that it will meet the need at least for the next few years.”
The INN Between has been fundraising to support the expansion of its services. The organization also receives some funding from government sources.
While the facility has faced pushback from its neighbors in the past, Olmsted said she doesn’t expect much opposition as the center – which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary on Friday – grows to meet its current capacity.
“I think we've proven that we really are good stewards of this location,” she said. “We know we're in a neighborhood. We know there's schools nearby and children walking around, and so we want to make sure that we're not disruptive to the community.”
One way The INN Between mitigates its impact, she added, is that the center doesn’t take walk ups. All its residents are referred to the facility by medical professionals, so “we're able to make sure that people are a good fit before coming into our program."
‘A PRETTY GREAT ALTERNATIVE’
Data released Wednesday from the state’s annual Point in Time Count of people experiencing homelessness showed a 42% increase in homeless Utahns 64 and older on a single night compared to the year before.
“This year’s data tells a complex story,” said Wayne Niederhauser, Utah’s state homeless coordinator, in a news release. “While most people still resolve their homelessness
quickly with shelter and support, we’re seeing growing needs, especially among seniors,
veterans, and first-time shelter residents.”
Older adults are the fastest-growing demographic experiencing homelessness in the United States, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. In 2024, about one in five people experiencing homelessness across the country on a single night was 55 or older.
The nonprofit attributes that trend to rising economic instability, “meager monthly benefits” and “deep shortages” of affordable housing across the country.
“When very low-income older adults are also faced with rising costs of basic needs, such as housing, healthcare, and food, they tend to be more vulnerable to losing their housing,” the organization wrote in a 2024 post on rising homelessness among this population.
This demographic is more likely to have higher health needs. But people experiencing homelessness often struggle to access basic health care – a reality that can sometimes have devastating consequences.
A recent report from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services found people experiencing homelessness in the state had 10 times higher rates of death compared to the general population. Substance abuse and chronic diseases, like heart disease or diabetes, were their leading causes of death.
The report recommended policymakers support low-barrier primary health care and substance abuse treatment, as well as low-barrier housing options that “include medical respite care” and other wraparound services.
When this population does access health care, “we have a lot of individuals that are using an emergency department as primary care,” Olmsted noted. “And it’s expensive, it’s not effective and they’re probably not getting the best care.”
As The INN Between works to stop that cycle, Olmsted cited research showing the facility saved local hospitals $30.5 million over the last decade, primarily by reducing emergency room visits.
About 150 of the 900 people the facility has served since opening died at the facility – a “tough pill to swallow” but a “pretty great alternative to passing away in a park or on a street corner,” Olmsted said.
Many others who stayed at the facility were able to stabilize and recover after being “in an environment where they can actually heal,” she noted. The INN Between said about 25% of its recuperative care residents exited the program into stable housing last year.
“When they’re here and they start to trust the system again and they’re willing to try and get into housing, I think those are some of the best success stories,” Olmsted said.
Gates will soon be one of those success stories, with plans to move out of The INN Between and into his own apartment. And while he credits his case manager for helping him put in the application, he said he “followed it up through there.”
“I think everything's going to be wonderful. I'm very excited for it, looking forward to it for this next chapter of my life,” he said. “By the grace of God, I am going to be just continuing up and up and up. There is no backwards for me.”
And while he’ll no longer be a resident at The INN Between, Gates said he hopes to return and continue volunteering at the place he said has given him so much.
“For the rest of my life, I’m going to be grateful,” he said. “Absolutely grateful.”
The INN Between is inviting the community to join its 10th anniversary celebration and learn more about its work to address homelessness at a free event Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the facility, which is located at 1216 East 1300 South.
FOX 13 News reporter Spencer Joseph contributed to this report.