A UNP Origin Story

It was early 2001 when I crossed paths with Irene Fisher, Special Assistant to the President of the University of Utah.

We talked for several hours and she listened quietly while I shared statistics on lack of investment in housing, minimal economic development by the private sector, my concern for school dropout rates and lack of resident participation by diverse populations in civic organizations. She listened intently and her inquiries were thoughtful. I realized from her questions that she truly cared about my answers.

We discussed the resources that both the west side neighborhoods and the University of Utah offered and how a relationship might change the dynamics of these two great communities. She asked if I would help and I declined. She was perplexed by my response given our great exchange of information and ideas. I shared with her my frustration with the many studies by universities throughout the state that studied the neighborhood and consumed valuable time from organizations and residents yet left the neighborhood with nothing tangible but reminders that we faced many challenges.

I stated strongly that if the University of Utah was serious, they needed to walk their talk and establish a neighborhood-based office. This commitment would send a message to the community that the University of Utah was serious about working with the neighborhoods.

She accepted that challenge and invited me to walk my own talk and serve as founding co-chair along with Scott Matheson, Jr., Dean of the Law School for the newly established University Neighborhood Partners advisory board. The board would be represented by organizations serving the neighborhoods, academia and residents from various parts of the west side. UNP board, staff and many volunteers in their nearly 14 years of serving the west side have been thoughtful in nurturing relationships that are truly reciprocal. The established partnerships are resulting in building the capacity or skill sets of organizations and residents and have inspired many to pursue higher education who might not otherwise.

For nearly four decades, NeighborWorks Salt Lake has focused on revitalizing neighborhoods through bricks and mortar and we understand while this is important, building the skill set of its residents that live in these neighborhoods is what sustains the community for future decades. UNP has engaged partners at many levels to help graduate hundreds of residents from the Westside Leadership Institute (WLI), a formal leadership training co-taught by University of Utah faculty and local community leaders.

These WLI graduates are actively engaged in responding to community needs and doing what no one organization could do alone -- from educating Spanishspeaking families on resources for autistic children, to inspiring them as resident leaders to run for leadership positions with school boards or City Council.

The number of residents engaged with NeighborWorks activities since UNP’s inception has increased by 40%. I am inspired by these outcomes that strengthen our brick and mortar investments, reinforce the value of partnerships and contribute to the sustainability of Salt Lake City’s west side neighborhoods.