Utah cities and counties, including Draper, could gain priority access to state grant money under a new designation Gov. Spencer Cox created by executive order on Monday, Sept. 21.

Cox signed Executive Order 2026-07 at the Capitol's Gold Room in Salt Lake City, establishing the Recovery Utah Initiative. The order creates a Recovery-Ready Community label for local governments that coordinate services across prevention, treatment and recovery support.

The Utah Legislature appropriated more than $40 million in 2026 to back the initiative's priorities, according to the governor's office. Communities that earn the designation will get priority for state-administered grants and what the order calls "interagency resource alignment."

The application process does not exist yet. The executive order directs a new Recovery Utah Initiative Council to establish criteria and offer technical assistance to cities that want to participate.

What the designation requires

To qualify, a city or county must demonstrate a framework covering four areas: expanding access to behavioral health services and overdose prevention; strengthening accountability within the local criminal justice system; providing school-based and community prevention programs; and promoting stable housing, workforce re-entry and economic mobility for people in recovery.

Tyler Clancy, the state homeless coordinator, will chair the council. Its members include representatives from eight state agencies, two vice-chairs with lived experience of homelessness and at least one faith community representative.

"We don't take a one-size fits all approach … But we're expanding our tool kit rather than limiting it," Clancy told Fox 13 at the signing.

Shift away from housing-first

The initiative signals a broader policy shift. KSL reported that Cox described the effort as moving Utah away from a "housing first" approach to homelessness, a model the governor had previously supported.

"We want people to have shelter, but that can't be the first and only goal," Cox said at the signing, according to KSL. "Recovery has to be a part of that."

The executive order cites recent statewide trends: fatal overdoses declined 9.3% and overall homelessness fell 1.6% in 2026. The initiative's broader targets include reducing drug deaths by 25%, cutting homelessness among people leaving state custody by 25% and adding 150,000 housing units by 2029.

The order also ties Utah to the White House's Great American Recovery Initiative. Utah is the first state to join the federal program, according to Kathryn Burgum, White House senior advisor for addiction recovery, who attended the signing alongside Dr. Monty Burks, executive director of the federal initiative.

What it means for Draper

Draper City has not publicly indicated whether it plans to pursue the Recovery-Ready designation. The criteria are still being developed by the council.

The council's first progress report to the governor and the Health and Human Services Interim Committee is due by Oct. 1, 2027.