Home / Health / Utah Hotel Transformed into Unique Homeless Shelter
Utah Hotel Transformed into Unique Homeless Shelter
6 Jan
Summary
- Shelter provides private rooms and bathrooms for dignity.
- On-site medical care is crucial for vulnerable residents.
- Over 80% of residents found stable housing last year.
The Medically Vulnerable People (MVP) shelter, located in Sandy, Utah, has repurposed a two-story brick hotel to serve older adults and those with chronic health issues. This facility provides semiprivate rooms with en-suite bathrooms, ensuring privacy and accommodating mobility needs, a stark contrast to typical large-scale homeless shelters.
Unlike standard shelters, the MVP shelter integrates on-site medical care, including EMTs, specialized case managers, and weekly visits from doctors and therapists. This allows residents like Jamie Mangum, who has lung cancer, to receive immediate attention for injuries and ongoing treatment, a service often unavailable elsewhere.
This specialized model is showing significant success, with The Road Home nonprofit reporting that over 80% of residents moved into stable housing in the past year. Similar shelters are emerging in other states, addressing the critical needs of an aging homeless population who often face barriers in traditional shelter settings.
