Disband homeless camps? Some cities rethink them instead.

Many cities are conducting sweeps of homeless encampments. But a new line of thinking suggests a different solution that maintains the dignity of those without homes and doesn't simply move the problem out of sight.

When Salt Lake City began enforcing an urban camping ban several years ago, hundreds of Utahns picked up their belongings and headed toward the Jordan River.

For centuries, the river has been a trading post, a border, and a nexus of nomadic activity. But most of all, it has been “a place of refuge,” says Søren Simonsen, executive director of the Jordan River Commission.

Today, growing numbers of encampments filled with Americans without permanent homes dot the banks of the river. And Mr. Simonsen is on the front line of what to do about it.

A decade ago, Utah claimed it had largely “solved” homelessness, reducing it by 91%. Now it is considering an idea, supported by Mr. Simonsen, that is gaining traction across the United States: outlawing unsanctioned camping and instead creating government-sanctioned tent encampments as steppingstones for those without homes to find more permanent housing.