Salt Lake County Pay for Success Initiative

Salt Lake County Launches Two Pay for Success Projects to Offer Solutions to Homelessness and Repeat Offenders

The initiative will address the complex and intertwined issues of homelessness and criminal justice reform and will result in more than 500 of the county's most vulnerable residents receiving highly targeted, innovative services never before available in Salt Lake County through two new programs.

Salt Lake County, Utah is launching two simultaneous Pay for Success (PFS) projects in partnership with First Step House, a specialized substance abuse treatment center with a mission to help people build lives of meaning, purpose, and recovery and the Road Home, a nonprofit, social services agency that assists individual and families experience homelessness in Salt Lake County.

The Criminal Justice REACH project aims to improve outcomes for individuals with moderate to severe substance use disorders and a number of other co-occurring criminogenic characteristics by providing holistic support and treatment.

The Projects

In Salt Lake County many people face the revolving door of the criminal justice system. Analysis from recent cohorts reveals that 74% of high-risk offenders in Salt Lake County return to the criminal justice system within four years of their release and spend, on average, a year incarcerated during that time. Incarceration alone is not a solution. It is costly and the Salt Lake County jail already operates at full capacity. The problem is also worsening; over the past decade, Utah’s prison population has grown by 18 percent.

The community also has a lack of viable interventions to help individuals who spend the vast majority of their time in emergency shelters. Despite the progress made by the County in housing the chronically homeless population and reducing chronic homelessness by 91% in the past decade, there are still large numbers of persistently homeless individuals – individuals in need of safe, stable, and affordable housing but not yet considered ‘chronically homeless.’

The County’s analysis reveals that nearly half of these individuals are booked into the County jail repeatedly. Historical analysis has shown that 43% of this population became chronically homeless within two years. Permanent supportive housing, usually reserved for people who are chronically homeless, is a limited and costly solution, especially for individuals who with comprehensive but time limited support can go on to self-sufficiency.

Criminal Justice Program: The Criminal Justice program will serve over 225 high-risk, high-need criminal offenders over six years using First Step House’s evidence-based REACH program. The REACH program will provide participants with tailored, evidence-based therapies, short-term housing support, and case management. These services will address criminogenic risks tied to recidivism, substance abuse, and mental health services. At the target impact level, the program will generate 26,800 fewer days in jail or prison and 225 fewer arrests and the County will make $5.95 million in success payments.

Homelessness Program: The Homelessness program will serve 315 persistently homeless individuals using The Road Home’s evidence-based Homes Not Jail program. The program will provide individuals with rapid re-housing services including move-in support, time-limited rental assistance, roommate matching for peer support and cost efficiency, and intensive case management for self-sufficiency and employment needs. At the target impact level, the program will generate 1,500 more stable housing months, defined as months without jail or shelter, and 250 graduations to permanent location. At this impact level, the County will make $5.55 million in success payments.

Additional Information

Read the press release about the Program
Read the Fact Sheet about the Program
Read Frequently Asked Questions about the Program
Read the released PFS Contract

For more information or inquiries, please contact info@thirdsectorcap.org.

Partners

Government

Salt Lake County, Utah

Salt Lake County will make success payments if the independent evaluator determines that the two projects have delivered the agreed upon community impact. The Criminal Justice Program will generate 26,800 fewer days in jail or prison and 225 fewer arrests. The Homelessness Program will generate 1,500 more stable housing months and 250 graduations to permanent location.

Service Provider

First Step House

First Step House is a specialized substance abuse treatment center with a mission to help people build lives of meaning, purpose, and recovery. First Step House's REACH program is an evidence-based program that provides coordinated services to address key components defined by its acronym: Recovery, Engagement, Assessment, Career Development, and Housing. Over five years, the program will serve more than 225 adult males who are being supervised by Utah Adult Probation and Parole.

Service Provider

The Road Home

The Homes Not Jail program aims to scale comprehensive rapid rehousing and wraparound supportive services in order to improve housing stability, reduce the number of days homeless individual spend in the County jail, and improve their economic and behavorial health. The Road Home will serve 315 single adults above the age of 30 who do not qualify for other housing services in the County and have spent between 90 and 364 days in emergency shelters, in jail, or on the streets.

Project Manager

Sorenson Impact Center

Sorenson Impact Center will serve as the Project Manager for the PFS Initiative. The Center is widely recognized as one of the preeminent centers of excellence in the country working to design, develop, and implement high-quality PFS projects across a variety of jurisdictions and issues areas.