OGDEN – 363 days after groundbreaking, a new transitional housing facility has opened to house families and individuals who have experienced domestic violence and need a safe place to rebuild.
“It’s the only project of its kind in Weber and Morgan counties,” Margaret Rose told KSL.com, executive director of the YCC Family Crisis Center and a driving force behind the new facility.
“It really is the only option and hopefully the best option for survivors to get support beyond crisis shelter,” Rose said.
On Friday, about 70 people gathered in the parking lot for a groundbreaking ceremony and a tour of the new building. It will house up to 40 families and features a community room, children’s playground and communal laundry rooms. Inspirational art by local women decorates the hallways leading to the sparkling new apartments, many of which can be expanded for families needing extra bedrooms.
“With COVID, there has been such an increase in domestic violence and also homelessness,” Rose told the crowd that filled the shaded tents and lined the parking lot’s retaining walls. “We know the connection between those two is incredibly strong.”
Palepa Anderson, the case manager in charge of placement at the crisis center, said the ultimate goal for each family is self-sufficiency, and candidates are selected on a case-by-case basis.
“It’s absolutely not about who we want, it’s about what we can offer the clients,” she said. “So as long as they want to be successful, get back into the community and strengthen their independence and that of their families, this program is exactly what it’s about.”
Those selected to live in the building will have the opportunity to participate in case management, therapy and classes. Rent is set individually and on a sliding scale based on income.
Anderson says residents will pay no more than 30 percent of their take-home pay, allowing them to save and get back into employment. This is what sets this program apart from low-income Section 42 housing loans or similar federal programs.
A large part of domestic violence is related to finances and a person’s ability to find housing, said Development Director Keicha Christiansen. The YCC Family Crisis Center currently operates an emergency shelter where people fleeing violence stay an average of 60 to 90 days. “When they’re done with the emergency shelter, they have to find housing, which is one of the biggest hurdles for people leaving abusive relationships,” Christiansen said.
“We often see people returning to their abuser because they have nowhere to stay,” she added.
Ogden Police Chief Eric Young attended the event, his final official act before retiring after 32 years. He said domestic violence calls are often the most dangerous for officers and that the last Ogden police officer, Nathan Lyday in 2020, was responding to a family dispute when he was shot.
Jen Campbell, executive director of the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition, said there is a serious shortage of transitional housing in the state. “We would love to see this in every county and every area because it’s so important for survivors to have access to assisted housing,” she said, “but in many places it just doesn’t exist.”
Campbell said these types of projects used to be a priority for federal funding, but “those amounts have really gone down.” The YCC had to get two different funding requests approved at the state level while also attracting government, corporate and private sponsors to complete the building.
The ultimate goal would be a “campus of services,” Campbell said. “So there’s emergency shelter, case management, transitional housing – so that people see this as a comprehensive opportunity to really be supported on the path to safe housing.”
Five individuals and families were selected from the organization’s emergency shelter to be the first to move in.
“I think this is where our residents can work to develop into the people they want to be,” Rose said. “This is where our children have a safe place to come home to after school, and this is where they can connect with the larger community in a really supportive, loving and healthy way.”
Domestic violence resources
If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse, help is available.
