Providing Housing for the Homeless in Utah County

Homelessness is not limited to downtown Salt Lake City. Utah County has seen an increase in homelessness, and here at Curtis Miner Architecture (CMA), we are looking for low-income multi-family housing solutions. We were hired by the Food & Care Coalition, one of the most proactive homeless resource centers in Utah County to design the Food & Care Housing Project. The project will provide low-income housing for formerly homeless persons and a “partner” office building offering services for persons transitioning from homelessness to being housed.

As Utah County grows, existing housing that has typically been available for low-income and Section 8 voucher housing is being gentrified, creating a lack of low-income housing. The Food & Care Coalition approached CMA to design a solution to this housing shortage. Rather than approach the design as a single large facility, which can feel confining, CMA has taken an approach of providing “transitional housing with dignity” – four three-story buildings with twelve units each, surrounding by landscaping designed to create private-feeling outdoor spaces for the people who live there. “We took the number of units and divided them into smaller buildings,” explains Project Architect Scott Bingham. “These 12-plexes are situated on the site to create outdoor amenity spaces with landscaping and site furniture.”

CMA is selecting durable building materials with a higher-end look that fit within the budget and make sense from a maintenance standpoint. “It’s not about using the cheapest, most basic materials,” says Bingham. “If you choose the right type of granite counter tops, for example, you can get something very inexpensive and comparable with laminate due to its durability.”

The Food & Care Housing Project is anticipated for completion late 2019.

Team:

Landscape Architect: Insite Design

Structural Engineer: Dynamic Structures

Mechanical Engineer:  BRENKMAN & Company LLC

Electrical Engineer: Envision Engineering