Building up Salt Lake City through Community and Connection
We want to call to attention the work that The Other Side Academy is doing in Salt Lake City. For those who do not know, The Other Side Academy, or TOSA, is a program crafted as a training school in which students learn pro-social, vocational, and life skills allowing them to emerge with a health life on “the other side.”
Michaelis Homes has been brought in as a consultant for the building stage of this project. We are grateful for the trust in our building expertise and the way we can focus it generously to help the TOSA.
How it’s used in Salt Lake: an alternative to long-term incarceration. Many who enter the program are convicts, substance abusers, or the homeless. The Academy accepts both men and women who are ready to learn a new and better way to live their life.
Salt Lake City Council
The community organizers are currently looking for funding support from the Utah Legislature to launch the development of the project and are seeking approval of a zoning amendment and the lease of the land from the Salt Lake City Council. The hope is that this community will grow to become self sufficient through social enterprises the Village initiates and develops.
When this project is green lit, we at Michaelis Homes will be able to step in with a more hands on role as building consultants. This will not only give us a way to utilize our talent, but also respectfully give back to the community in which we live. We believe in second chances.
A Sister Program: The Other Side Village
Founded on the same principles - that people heal through community and connection - The Other Side Village is a sister program that will be built for a different population with different needs. The two are separate entities. The Village will partner with community clinics for all medical and mental health services as neighbors transition from a homeless lifestyle in a community-friendly lifestyle. When these transitional neighbors begin the program they will be taught the pillars of a therapeutic community.
Pull people up. This is essentially accountability, self governed and helpful to one another.
Pass information. Share within the community. As people grow within the community, each neighbor will be given more responsibility and accountability. Those with more will be able to look out for those with less.
Play the game. There will be democratic style councils within the neighborhood that will make key decisions. This will lead to equality and ownership within the community.
There will be business and program opportunities within the Village for those to choose and grow into. There will be an inherent desire to succeed. And we will be here to echo that.