KarunaNews Story

Just outside Salt Lake City, Utah, the Medically Vulnerable People shelter — or MVP shelter, as it’s known — is serving people 62 and older or for younger adults with chronic health issues. Residents share rooms designed to be accessible to those with mobility issues. There are also private bathrooms, which are a big deal for seniors struggling with incontinence. Unlike the MVP, most homeless shelters aren’t equipped to help seniors, especially those 65 and older. They are the fastest-growing homeless population nationwide. 62-year-old Jeff Gregg is a recent resident of the MVP Shelter. An old back injury caused a hunch in his back and also fueled a decades-long addiction to opioids. That cycle was hard to escape. “Fighting that, having a job, insurance, then losing the job, not having insurance, going out to the streets and being back in that crap, and I’d be back in the same position,” he said. Gregg said sobriety took a back seat to more immediate needs like finding food and a bed in a shelter. He said the MVP was the first place where he could relax and focus on recovery. “I was able to get clean. It took me a couple months, but I just kept plucking away,” he said. He said the experience paved the way for him to get back surgery. He hopes that with less back pain, he can eventually get a job to help him afford an apartment.