Southern Utah family shelter and meal providers seek operating funds; lawmakers pressed on capacity

Carol Hallowell, CEO of SwitchPoint, described a recently completed expansion of a family shelter in Southern Utah that added 16 family rooms and nearly doubled capacity. Hallowell said the shelter was built using HOME‑ARP funds but lacked operating funding for the first year and thus requested $600,000 one‑time to carry operations until the Office of Homeless Services funding cycle reopens. She said the shelter had at times been at capacity and had turned families away when rooms and funding were unavailable.

Representative Miller introduced the Food Justice Coalition and Jennifer Vega, who described producing more than 85,000 nutrient‑dense prepared meals and serving low‑income households who do not qualify for prepared‑meal subsidies. Vega said a prior $50,000 state appropriation helped recruit families and secure private matching funds; the RFA in the packet shows a $100,000 request for expanded operations.

Committee members asked whether residents had been turned away because of capacity or funding; presenters said both factors have constrained operations in the past. Lawmakers thanked presenters and noted the requests as part of broader work to address shelter capacity and food insecurity; no appropriation vote was taken during the hearing.