SALT LAKE CITY — As Utah's state legislature prepares to return to session on Tuesday, homeless advocates gathered at the Capitol on Thursday to voice their concerns about proposed housing legislation and demand real solutions to the state's homelessness crisis.
Travis Ressler, a musician who lives in Liberty Park with a growing community of homeless individuals, said lawmakers need to understand the reality of life on the streets before crafting policy.
"A lot of people don't know how close they are to homelessness," Ressler said. "I mean, it's one day you're in an apartment with all your furnishings, the next day you're sitting in your car like, goodness, what am I going to do now?"
Ressler described Liberty Park as home to many artists and musicians who simply need an opportunity to showcase their talents. "All I know here is artists. Like, I'm an artist. I've been making music forever," he said. "There's a female version of Van Gogh here in the park that nobody will know if they don't get a chance and an opportunity to shine."
The advocates criticized current proposals for large-scale shelters located far from city centers, arguing these facilities don't address the real needs of homeless populations.
Ksenia Kniazeva, executive director and founder of Nomad Alliance, said officials are planning to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on inappropriate solutions. "They're expecting to spend hundreds of millions of dollars building this huge behemoth shelter out in the boonies. They don't understand this population," Kniazeva said.
Kniazeva, who experienced homelessness herself, suggested utilizing empty parking lots as temporary solutions while longer-term housing options are developed.
Ressler emphasized that homeless individuals want to be productive community members, not recipients of handouts. "Let us be neighbors. Let us work for it," he said.
He noted that nearby government buildings sit partially empty while people sleep outside.
"Half those rooms are empty. And we're sitting out here — those rooms could be really useful, just getting us off the street," Ressler said. "If we were considered residents and neighbors instead of just a number and a faceless name."
Ressler dreams of opening a music business near Liberty Park, saying it would allow the homeless community to contribute meaningfully to society.
"Nobody will understand unless you sleep outside one night… one pair of socks, snow coming down, no way to cover yourself — you thank the Lord you can go home," he said.
The advocates stressed that effective legislation requires understanding the lived experiences of homeless individuals rather than implementing policies that simply move the problem elsewhere. "We don't just go away because somebody throws a gavel. It's got to be real legislation and real fixes," Ressler said.
