The governor has appointed another familiar face from the Utah Legislature — Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo — as the state’s next homelessness coordinator, a position that leads the state’s Office of Homeless Services.

Clancy, however, won’t start in his new role until March 9, after the 2026 legislative session ends. That means the state won’t have a homeless coordinator during a legislative session when unanswered questions remain over how the state will fund expensive plans for a new 1,300-bed homeless campus, with state leaders envisioning it to have hundreds of beds for civil commitment and court-ordered drug treatment.

But Clancy — who also works as a detective with the Provo Police Department, assigned to the Special Victims Unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force — will continue to serve as a legislator representing House District 60 through the 2026 session.

And he’s no stranger to homelessness policy.

After he was first elected to the House in 2023 as the state’s youngest lawmaker at the age of 25, Clancy has worked on legislation to bring more “accountability” and “healing” into Utah’s homelessness system. Earlier this year, he successfully sponsored HB329, a wide-ranging bill that enacted a long list of tweaks to Utah’s homeless system, but most notably it added more safety requirements in homeless shelters, including bag checks.

Clancy has also sponsored bills related to public safety, drug policy and rehabilitation, “earning recognition from national and local organizations for results-driven leadership,” the governor’s office said in a news release issued Thursday morning announcing his appointment.

Before being elected to the Legislature, Clancy worked as executive director of the Pioneer Park Coalition, a group of Salt Lake City community and business leaders that advocated for action to address homelessness issues in the Rio Grande neighborhood.

“Rep. Clancy knows the work on the ground and at the policy table, and that mix will sharpen coordination and results,” Cox said in a prepared statement. “Building on the foundation Wayne Niederhauser laid, we will strengthen Utah’s response and help more Utahns find stability.”

Clancy, in a statement, expressed gratitude for the “opportunity to serve.”

“Utah does best when we work together with clear goals and real accountability,” Clancy said. “My focus is on coordination that helps people move forward with dignity.”

Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.