As summer begins to wind down, Utah County Commissioners are already thinking about making sure some of our most vulnerable neighbors have a safe, warm place to sleep this winter.
As part of the ongoing America 250 Celebration, they’re collecting sleeping mats for homeless individuals to get a good night’s sleep at the Utah County Warming Center, when it opens for the season in November.
“This campaign is a simple way to make a meaningful difference for some of our community’s most vulnerable neighbors,” a Utah County Government press release said.
Their goal is to collect 250 mats before November 1.
As of August 29, 100 of those have already been collected, according to the county’s website.
Utah County Commissioners said last winter, the Warming Center provided thousands of safe overnight stays for the homeless. With that in mind, the mats aim to create a safe, comfortable, and dignified environment for those seeking shelter.
Utah County began its warming center program in 2023, after the state mandated that counties across the state have a designated facility where people experiencing homelessness can escape the cold when overnight temperatures drop below 18 degrees.
The Utah County Winter Response Task Force was formed, made up of elected officials, local community partners and stakeholders to connect the unsheltered to resources like housing, health care and case management.
During the 2024-2025 winter season, between mid-October and April, Utah County operated three warming centers — all with a rotating schedule to accommodate the unsheltered seven nights a week.
Around 600 people used the warming center during those six months, Kena Mathews, housing director for Community Action Services and Food Bank, told Serve Daily.
While at the time of this publication, the task force has not yet revealed exact details about the 2026-2027 warming center, county commissioners are making great strides on gathering critical needs, such as sleeping mats ahead of the center’s November 1 opening.
Those who wish to support the effort can purchase a sleeping mat from an Amazon Wish List set up by county commissioners, and it will be shipped to the county government’s office.
More information can be found online at utahcounty.gov/news.
