‘I can hardly look anyone in the eye’: St. George’s homeless say they face stigma

Stock image, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Sitting in the shade at a picnic table outside the Switchpoint shelter in St. George, Jerry hangs his head in his hands.

The 53-year-old Chicago transplant never imagined he’d find himself staying in a homeless center. He has a full-time job as a supervisor at Dean Foods and isn’t struggling financially. He doesn’t have a criminal record or abuse substances.

But when his landlord sold the town home he was leasing in June with just 15 days of notice, he couldn’t immediately find a new place to live in St. George’s tight rental market.

A Google search led him to Switchpoint.

“It’s very embarrassing,” said Jerry, who asked that his full name not be used because he hadn’t disclosed his living arrangements to his employer or to others he knows. “I’ve had a successful career and life. I’ve had a great life. This is like the lowest low. I can hardly look anybody in the eye, quite frankly.”

Read the full story here: SLTrib.com.

Written by BETHANY RODGERS and TAYLOR STEVENS, The Salt Lake Tribune.

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.

Copyright © The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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