Photo: Adam Jang/Unsplash
Salt Lake City Council members recently approved a building project that will provide affordable permanent housing for people who have been unhoused for a year or more within the past three years. Aside from small neighborhoods of cottage-style homes, the master-planned neighborhood will feature a bodega and a couple of other stores that will provide jobs to help villagers become financially self-sufficient. An open-air event center and an auditorium for live concerts are also in the works. Planners of The Other Side Village hope that the project will not only alleviate the issue of homelessness in the city but also will help make the culture and diversity of the neighborhood come alive. The team behind the project worked closely with the city council to address each other's concerns and made dozens of adjustments based on their conversations. "I don't think this will be a success unless there is a connection with the community," city council member Alejandro Puy said. So far, the majority of community residents show support for the project and some have even enumerated the benefits and advocated for it at city council meetings. The experience has been transformative for members of the Other Side team, especially those who were formerly unhoused. "They've experienced some pretty overwhelming support, and they walked away from the city council meetings close to tears because of the number of people who went to bat for people who are unsheltered," said Samuel Grenny, Director of Communications for the Other Side. "I think that was a pretty unique experience for them."
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