“They pulled what they called my shelter license. So I could not work with clients directly… I was basically at a loss in terms of what I could do.” — Karl Westbrook
Homelessness in Salt Lake City is a crisis that defies easy answers. But behind every statistic is a story—of loss, of resilience, of a system caught between intention and outcome. Karl Westbrook knows this better than most. His journey from homelessness and addiction to community advocate gives him a perspective that’s hard to find among the neatly packaged solutions offered by policymakers.
From Homelessness to Advocacy: Karl Westbrook’s Journey
Karl’s story starts with struggle. After battling addiction and finding himself homeless as recently as 2023, he managed to get back on his feet, driven by a desire to make a difference. He joined AmeriCorps through the Salt Lake County MVP program as a housing specialist for The Road Home. But despite his passion and first-hand experience, three months into his term, Karl was barred from working directly with clients because of his past. He found himself sidelined, but he didn’t let that stop him from trying to help.
Innovative Solutions to Salt Lake City’s Housing Crisis
The first project he launched was called “Glass Houses.” Seeing a lack of transparency in the housing market, Karl began gathering data on local rental properties, including policies around criminal records, credit scores, and income requirements. “I accumulated a database of 1,200 properties in Salt Lake County,” he said, determined to build a tool that could streamline housing searches for those facing the biggest barriers. But his work was met with pushback from his own organization. “I got no support from staff… They did not want me to complete this project.”
Uniting Communities Through Dialogue and Action
Karl’s drive to help didn’t end there. One of his most innovative ideas is the “Speakeasy” platform—an open forum where people can discuss tough subjects without fear of being shouted down. The idea came from conversations with a friend behind a shed, where the pair imagined hosting casual, stand-up comedy-style dialogues. “We would just talk about common issues,” he said, with a goal to make the tough conversations approachable and engaging. He hopes to take the concept even further by bringing it to neighborhood gatherings to hear directly from residents about their concerns…