The Road Home, Utah's largest homeless shelter, is having problems with its homeless residents shooting up and overdosing inside the building. The widespread drug use and careless security has raised concerns for local Salt Lake City residents.
An audit team for the shelter found that the staff of the nonprofit do not always follow their own policies for letting people in. The team claims that police recently found a man with drug paraphernalia like heroin needles, and a loaded handgun inside the shelter.
This poses an obvious threat to the homeless and the surrounding downtown residents who are intimidated by the drug users.
The auditors spoke with some other homeless people in Salt Lake City who said they don't stay at The Road Home because they wanted to avoid the drug use, stealing and “poor health conditions” at the shelter.
Matt Minkevitch, The Road Home's executive director told lawmakers, “If there’s any suggestion that our team is tolerating drug dealing, I assure you we’re not,” Minkevitch said. “Have we caught everyone? Absolutely not. Do we invite help? Absolutely.”
Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams called the nonprofit’s responses “unacceptable.”
Staff at The Road Home claim residents are checked upon entry for contraband, but auditors stated that they witnessed people walking in without being searched.
A recent video recorded inside the shelter shows officers try to revive a man overdosing on opiates, which you can watch below.
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