Greetings—my name is Dr. Rick Wadsworth, and I am a self-funded, self-directed homeless advocate and educator. I have spent the last nine months doing “man-on-the-street” interviews with the homeless in Salt Lake City to ascertain their needs, learn their struggles, understand their culture, and figure out where gaps exist in government policy. What I have discovered unfortunately, is both shocking and discouraging. Only the symptoms of homelessness are being addressed instead of the causes of it. What this website offers is both information (what is going on) and education (what needs to be done).
I have 3 audiences in mind—1) the public so they can begin to see homelessness more accurately and with more compassion 2) the politicians who focus on resource-distribution instead of changing thinking and behaviors and 3) the homeless who need to learn life-skills, emotion-regulation, holistic healing, and self-compassion through trauma recovery and 12-step principles. Will this educational offering get them off the street? Probably not, but it WILL give them something to learn & do while they are on the streets waiting for housing and provide them tools going forward that will keep them off the streets if applied. My background in Psychology, Education, Substance Abuse Counseling, and Life-Coaching—along with 28 years of teaching and having one of my own children on the streets for 3 years—gives me a unique perspective and skill set. Come join this fascinating journey and become part of the solution. If anyone can figure this out, it’s Utah.
*My purpose is 5-fold: 1) create awareness 2) generate discussion 3) offer an educational approach to current homeless practices 4) generate small dollar & large dollar donations for supplies and 5) locate a free venue to teach homeless classes in
