About Us
One focus of Out of the Dust is to identify ongoing barriers people experiencing homelessness face that includes: safety concerns, ability to get a job, loss/theft of belongings, limited access to bathrooms, drinking fountains, showers, difficulty storing possessions, exposure to extreme weather, constant police presence, and maintaining communication without working cell phones.
One of their biggest challenges is waiting for housing to open up, which can take up to 2 years. The system is slow and the necessary resources are increasingly limited as more homeless move in and bring complicating factors with them. Utah is seeing a correlating increase in fatal drugs, human trafficking, drug dealers and prostitution which affect the homeless directly.
Boredom is another problem—there is little to inspire their minds, engage their senses, develop their talents, or elevate their moods.
Our classes employ evidence-based educational practices from a veteran PhD instructor and incorporates resources from its one-of-a-kind Self-Help Library to teach principles & practices widely used in the counseling and addiction-recovery professions.
The goal is to create satellite campuses throughout the state and involve volunteers with backgrounds in education, public service, counseling & other helping professions to teach these classes. Many retired professionals are looking for ways to give back and find service-based opportunities moving forward.
If interested, please reach out to me at: rickoutofthedust@gmail.com
Our Mission Statement:
