We, at Unsheltered Utah, Inc. would like to introduce to you the mission of our non-profit organization. Our goal is to meet individuals where they are at, often on the streets and not in any sort of public shelter situation, and to help coordinate efforts with existing resources, find pathways and bridges to alternative sources for assistance and to provide as many essential supplies as possible to fulfill immediate needs.
Our boots on the ground initiative is different than many, as we interact often with those who are shelter-avoidant. We encounter all levels of physical disabilities and mental health issues, all who are willing to accept our assistance will be included. We interact and build relationships of trust with individuals who otherwise fall through the cracks due to substance abuse issues, or involvement in sex work or other activities that may be grounds for removal from other assistance programs, including the option of shelter. These individuals are often in survival mode, and may participate in activities that they never would consider if they were in stable living conditions with food on the table. We recognize that and try to offer grace and empathy.
Ours is a mission of humanity, so many individuals have been left feeling less than or even invisible to society. We look each person in the eye and listen to where they are sleeping, what they are facing, with intent to decipher specific needs. Each person has a story, and we are privileged to be trusted with them. Each story typically begins with trauma, and without the ability to navigate a path out of cycles of poverty, sadly many will end in the same way. We interrupt that cycle with hope, genuine care and connections to show that other paths exist.
At Unsheltered Utah we use common sense metrics to determine how to best serve the individuals on the street each week based on environmental changes including weather and camp “abatements.” (In a traditional living situation these would be called evictions, on the street they are a bulldozer and dump truck clearing the area while guarded by police officers.) These abatements are traumatic and often trigger folks experiencing mental instability due to the pressures and dangers of life on the street.
When existing resources have fallen short, our organization has funded crisis housing in emergency situations.
Try as we might to convince civic leaders to ban the abatement process when there are not suitable shelter options, we go forward to serve those left without. We raise funds, gather donations and do street outreach to offer support and compassion.
Our goal is much bigger. We are not just a band-aid for those with tragic stories, we are turning into a beacon of hope for our unsheltered friends. We are connecting them to resources, we are seeking employers who have background-friendly employment opportunities, and we are proposing an eco-friendly, sustainable, transitional tiny home village which will allow individuals the privacy of their own dwelling with locking doors, a safety feature that grants freedom to seek gainful employment without fear of losing all their worldly possessions. We will provide community support, medical and mental healthcare access, job training and even employment. We are coordinating with city officials and government representatives to find a location suitable for sustaining this environment. Several laborers and many building materials have been pledged in prospective partnership for this proposed housing community.
Until land use is granted and we can break ground, our focus remains on our street outreach meeting the immediate needs of those facing harsh weather conditions on top of the dangers often faced living on the street.
With our team of volunteers, we are putting in the work each week, providing a hot meal, and much needed supplies to encampments in Salt Lake City and Ogden. Our efforts have been widely shared and the general public have been incredibly generous in response with an overwhelming amount of physical goods donated. We have raised funds, purchased and distributed more than 750 blankets, 400 sleeping bags, over 100 tents, since our concentrated group efforts began in December of 2020. We have distribute hundreds of pounds of warm clothing, shoes, coats and food items each week.
Your help can save lives. With support of community partners, like you, we can make our big picture goals a cost-effective reality that will allow for individuals to regain a sense of humanity and take pride of ownership in a private space which they can call home.
Our needs to operate in a sustainable way include access to a warehouse or storage space for sorting and organizing donations, a cargo van or box truck to efficiently deliver goods and move folks property when they are asked to disburse, or any other financial or in-kind offerings that can help sustain our mission.
Emergency Movie Night Program – 2nd & 2nd
In December of 2022, we opened an emergency warming shelter in the common area of First United Methodist Church, in cooperation with multiple other organizations. We opened a total of 33 nights through the 22-23 winter, serving homemade food, providing blankets, mats, tents, sleeping bags, coats, warming kits and travel food. This program was volunteer led, and volunteer run, and we had over 400 unique volunteers serve through the winter. Some of the nights we opened were down to eight degrees, and we firmly believe that this program saved lives.
