Legislators came into the session knowing Utah had a 40,000-unit affordable housing gap. They left without taking action to spur the kind of development advocates and researchers argue is desperately needed before it becomes a drag on the economy.
Lawmakers instead passed bills that will lead to more studies on Utah’s affordable housing crisis, and they created a commission that is expected to drive efforts on housing affordability.
Utah’s dearth of affordable housing is putting more residents at risk of homelessness and making it harder for moderate-income residents to buy a home. Advocates and some legislators say that, while the session delivered funding for homeless shelters, the problem of affordable housing is expectedto continue to grow with no clear plan to contain it.