Homelessness Solution: Utah Village Empowers Residents – A Better Approach?

A Different Approach to Housing: The Other Side Village

The persistent challenge of homelessness demands innovative solutions. While traditional approaches often fall short, a community in Salt Lake City, Utah, is demonstrating a strikingly different path. The Other Side Village, a peer-run community of tiny homes, offers a model centered on choice, responsibility and mutual support – a stark contrast to recent proposals for involuntary detention and treatment, like the one initially championed by President Trump and Governor Spencer Cox. Finding effective ways to combat homelessness requires a shift in perspective, one that prioritizes dignity and empowers individuals to rebuild their lives.

From Crisis to Community: A Shift in Philosophy

In late 2025, Utah proposed a “campus” designed to involuntarily detain and treat up to 1,300 homeless individuals. This plan, initially spurred by President Trump’s interest, drew criticism from advocates who questioned the efficacy of forced treatment. Evidence regarding the long-term benefits of involuntary interventions for substance employ and mental health disorders remains inconclusive, while the loss of personal liberty is undeniable. Governor Cox initially defended the plan, stating that “everything we’ve been doing has been a complete and abject failure,” but this assessment was quickly challenged by the success of alternative models.

Just six miles south of the proposed campus site lies The Other Side Village, a community built on a fundamentally different premise. Here, chronically unsheltered individuals choose to participate, undergoing a 6- to 12-month preparatory course focused on sobriety, responsibility, and essential life skills. Residents secure employment – either within the Village’s social enterprises or with external employers – and contribute to the community by paying rent for their tiny homes. The long-term vision is for the Village to become entirely self-sustaining, initially funded by private donations.

Peer Support and “High-Touch” Coaching

The Other Side Village is rooted in the power of lived experience. All staff members, including Moe Egan and Robbie Myrick, have personal histories of homelessness, addiction, mental health challenges, and incarceration. They also live on the campus, fostering a deeply connected and supportive environment. Moe often shares his own mugshot from 1999 as a powerful reminder that recovery is possible: “Glance at this guy, if I can do it, you can do it.”

Central to the Village’s success is its peer coaching system. During the preparatory program, each coach is assigned only five or six mentees, allowing for intensive, individualized support. This ratio increases to ten mentees per coach once residents move into their homes, but the focus remains on “whole-person change.” Coaching encompasses everything from obtaining a GED to exploring artistic expression to developing coping mechanisms for challenging social situations. Coaches proactively identify moments of struggle and provide unwavering support, encouraging residents to simply “make it to your pillow tonight” and “start again tomorrow.”

Responsibility and Empowerment Through Work

Housing at The Other Side Village is not free. Residents, referred to as “neighbors,” pay between $250 and $500 per month in rent. Employment opportunities are readily available through the Village’s social enterprises and its sister organization, The Other Side Academy. Moe Egan highlights the transformative power of work: “We’ve got people that were on the streets eight months, a year ago, that now obtain up at three o’clock in the morning. They make donuts, deliver donuts, and work in our donut shops.” This emphasis on employment fosters dignity, empowerment, and a sense of purpose. As Moe explains, simply providing housing vouchers without addressing underlying issues like life skills is insufficient.

A Democratic Community with Remarkable Outcomes

The Other Side Village operates as a democratic community. While not everyone completes the preparatory program, an impressive 80 percent have done so to date. Those who are not successful are “voted out” by their peers and staff, ensuring that the community remains committed to its core values. The success stories are compelling. One resident, previously diagnosed with a low IQ and suffering from multiple traumatic brain injuries, now holds a full-time job and independently covers his rent. Another individual, who had spent eight months in a psychiatric facility without speaking or leaving their room, was barely recognizable to staff during a follow-up visit.

Robbie Myrick notes that, in the context of mental health, the issue is often too much medication, rather than too little. He suggests that a strong support network can sometimes reduce the necessitate for certain medications. As Moe puts it, the Village combats the “soft bigotry of low expectations.” He recounts a particularly moving experience, recalling how he “pretty much pulled” a long-time heroin user “off their deathbed” and guided them into a detox program, ultimately witnessing their remarkable recovery.

Legislative Support and a Promising Future

Recognizing the potential of this innovative approach, the Utah legislature allocated $1 million to The Other Side Village in the 2026 session, while providing no funding for Governor Cox’s proposed “campus.” This decision signals a growing recognition that solutions to homelessness must prioritize dignity, empowerment, and community-based support. The success of The Other Side Village offers a compelling alternative to punitive measures and a hopeful vision for a more compassionate and effective response to this complex social issue. You can learn more about the Village and its work at The Other Side Village website.

Some of this post is adapted from Fredrick E. Vars’ forthcoming book, Through the Fire: How People with Mental Illness Are Empowering Each Other (Prometheus Books). Copyright © 2026 by Fredrick E. Vars. Used by permission. All rights reserved.