Crossroads Urban Center

It’s a cold, rainy morning at Crossroads Urban Center in downtown Salt Lake City, and unhoused people are gathering on the steps of the old Victorian building that serves as an emergency food pantry. When the door opens, they file inside, pausing at an entry desk to let the woman behind it know what they need—shoes for a child, rent and utility assistance, a new ID, food, a rain jacket, a blanket.In a little while, a delivery truck will arrive and employees will unload boxes of food and supplies as the rain turns to snow. Meanwhile, rent prices are on the rise, high-end high-rise apartment buildings are under construction less than a block away, and as temperatures plummet toward winter, at least 70 families aren’t certain where they will sleep. Nearby shelters are at capacity.Still, this grassroots organization does everything it can to help all people meet basic survival needs and to address essential issues affecting quality of life. And those gathered on the steps of this old building feel welcome.“Having this place where there’s always people sitting out on the grass, there’s always people here getting food or services, it really just feels like a safe place, and a place where people can belong,” said Pastor AJ Bush, a United Methodist pastor who works with and advocates on behalf of Crossroads clients. “And so I think that’s really one of the values of this place, one of the benefits. … One of the gifts of this place is that it is a place to belong, for everyone downtown.”