In 1519, the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez arrived on the shores of what is now Mexico in search of gold, territory and glory.
According to legend, once ashore in Yucatan, Cortez gave the order to burn his ships as a way of ensuring that none in his party would seek to return to the relative security of Cuba, or even back to Spain, before they had fulfilled their mission.
The desire of some state and local officials and business leaders to be done with the emergency shelter model of serving Salt Lake City’s homeless population and move to an approach that stresses real, long-term housing is something that, in years to come, we may well look back on as a major accomplishment.