The wind-swept painted desert canyons, arches and vistas are calling. Moab beckons the masses during the spring, summer and fall. Annually, we pack up our SUV with our dogs and hiking gear for days of long, quiet walks in the desert while the redrock contrasting the white-blue La Sals is quiet. We hear only a gentle wind through sagebrush. After a few days, our frazzled city … [Read more...]
Why Should We Care About the Homeless in Utah?
Last year over 100,000 people died from drug overdoses, and many of these people were homeless. These people are our “lost sheep.” The homeless in Utah, and all over the United States are dying at an astounding rate. At least fifteen people have died in Salt Lake City due to both, cold and drug overdoses this year. Some say the toll is higher than fifty, but sadly we don’t know … [Read more...]
Why Is it Taking So long for A Sanctioned Campground in Salt Lake City?
When homeless leaders such as Ty Bellamy of Black Lives for Humanity and Kseniya Kniazeva of Nomad Alliance talk about what the unsheltered homeless need more than anything they say one thing: a sanctioned campground. This way the personal property of the individuals can remain safe. When we ask the homeless what they need more than anything Jonnie (who has been homeless for 30 … [Read more...]
Why is “Housing First” Homes to the Homeless Proving to Be A Failure in Utah?
Why are Salt Lake City’s public housing initiatives under the "Housing First" Banner proving to be such a dismal failure since 2016? Utah Stories has uncovered that even the most expensive units in Salt Lake City, such as the Magnolia Apartments, along with Palmer Court as well as all of the new homeless resources centers are proving to not help the homeless work on their … [Read more...]
Green Phoenix Farms Helps Homeless Women Get off the Streets
James Loomis is the Director of Green Phoenix Farms, which is a non-profit organization that assists homeless women in getting off the streets and into productive roles by growing fresh produce at their farm located in downtown Salt Lake City. Aside from being a fully functioning certified organic urban farm, the Green Phoenix Farm offers a job training program providing … [Read more...]
Why Printing a Magazine in the Era of Social Media?
Printing on paper kills trees; printing requires tons of energy; printing on paper requires ink that is not great for the environment. Printing is wasteful and expensive, it's antiquated, it’s “legacy media”, it's passe ― so why do it? I was reminded last week why we print on paper. YouTube struck Utah Stories channel with a “community violation strike”. This violation … [Read more...]
The Majority of Utah’s Unsheltered Want to Work. What’s preventing them?
70% of Utah's homeless tell Utah Stories in an informal survey that they would like to work. Ten percent tell us they could work very limited hours and twenty percent say they are currently unable to work. Restaurant owners are struggling to keep hours because of their desperate need for employees, some have even closed their doors for lack of finding prep cooks and … [Read more...]
Homeless Voices Need to Be Heard
Salt Lake City's unsheltered homeless are planning a protest today (Sunday, February 19th) at 3 PM lead by the Nomad Alliance at either Pioneer Park or near the NBA AllStar Festivities. Utah Stories supports this protest because for years now the homeless who have been victimized by the Salt Lake City Police Department under the direction of various mayors. They have not … [Read more...]
Is Salt Lake City Covering Up Homeless Deaths?
The Situation For the Homeless Remains Dire “Nobody Wants to Step Up” says Ty Bellamy Ty Bellamy’s journey to becoming one of Salt Lake City’s most recognized homeless advocates has been a long and hard road. In 2021, Bellamy championed a homeless camp called “Camp Last Hope”. This camp was located on abandoned rail lines located at 900 South and 500 West. The camp provided … [Read more...]
What is Going on with Salt Lake City?
“Put your little hand in mine and there ain't no mountain we can’t climb … I got you babe! I got you babe!” “Hello everyone, it’s Groundhog Day! So put on your booties before you step outside, because it’s cold outside!” Maybe you recognize these lines from a comedy classic movie. Read to the end to find out what it is. If this article looks like a lot of words, I … [Read more...]