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Salt Lake City police and social workers venture into the hills above the state Capitol to offer homeless campers housing and medical services

Operation Rio Grande it wasn’t — no sweeps, no arrests — but rather a helping hand to some hearty, if cold, homeless campers.

Salt Lake City police, in conjunction with the Volunteers of America (VOA) and the Veterans Administration(VA), on Thursday and Friday reached out to homeless men camped on the hills north of the state Capitol Building.

At a mobile command center along Victory Road, they offered clothing, sleeping bags, medical services and, in some cases, signed them up for transitional housing.

“They are helping us,” said Rex, a 48-year-old man who has been homeless for four years.