Who We Are
Out of the Dust seeks to interview our neighbors and identify ongoing barriers that include ability to get a job, safety concerns, loss/theft of belongings, limited access to bathrooms, drinking water or 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 that 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 an increase in fatal drugs, human trafficking, drug dealers and prostitution which affect the homeless the hardest.
Boredom is another problem—there is little to inspire their minds, engage their senses, develop their talents, or elevate their minds or moods.
Most people on the streets don’t have access to free laundry facilities and only limited access to showers if they are in a shelter or able to benefit from Showers of Hope. Their clothes are considered disposable and constantly being replaced as they get too soiled to wear and are simply thrown away. Clean underwear and socks are always a premium and greatly needed.
It’s the hope of Out of the Dust to create a mobile classroom throughout the valley and involve volunteers with backgrounds in education, public service, mentoring, and other helping professions to utilize their skills and help teach these classes.
