Rogan podcast doesn't paint the full picture of homelessness in SLC

Catch up quick: Comedian Shane Gillis, a guest on the Aug. 13 episode, described Utah's capital as the "cleanest, nicest" city when he was starting out in the local comedy scene.

• "I was telling my buddies, wait until you see how nice this is. And we landed and there was 10 homeless guys chasing us," he said.
• Gillis has performed in Salt Lake City multiple times in recent years — once at the downtown WiseGuys in 2022 and at the Delta Center last year.

The big picture: In a series of meetings this week, local and state officials discussed adopting a Miami-inspired model designed to reduce homelessness and recidivism among people with mental health needs.

• Officials partnered with the Leifman Group, a national consulting firm, last year to develop 25 recommendations.
• They include creating homeless outreach teams that help connect people to housing resources and allowing 911 callers to identify an emergency call as a mental health episode.

What they're saying: During a Tuesday briefing about the new behavioral health and criminal justice response system, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said she was aware of Gillis' comments and didn't want to dismiss them.

• "A lot's happened since 2020. We had an office-based economy in the downtown core that is now an entertainment, retail, recreation-based economy," she said. "There was a different experience in downtown public safety."
• "I assume he was joking, and frankly, I think part of the reason that he made that comment is because of the juxtaposition of the perception of Salt Lake," said Rick Schwermer, a partner at the Leifman Group, about Gillis' remarks.

What we're watching: More details around the new strategy are expected to be released in the next few months.