Under a Salt Lake City overpass, a new type of homeless encampment takes shape but how long will it last? Taylor Stevens
Nestled on either side of an out-of-use railroad track, dozens of tents reach toward the top of a Salt Lake City overpass a concrete umbrella that provides a reprieve from snow, hail and rain but keeps in the smell and sound of crackling fires and the laughter and shouts of the people who live here.
This is the scene at Camp Last Hope, a homeless encampment located in an industrial area in Utah’s capital city near 900 South and 500 West that has been home to dozens of unsheltered residents since early last month.
Last week, while jogging on a treadmill, Jon Demi of Claysville started to feel chest pain.
He suspected it was a heart attack, and he would know. Not only does his family have a lengthy history of heart problems, but he was a state trooper for 20 years and familiar with the signs.
It was 6:30 a.m. Dec. 2 when he woke his wife, Amy, and told her to call 911.
âI said, âI think Iâm having a heart attack. You better call 911,ââ Demi said in a recent interview. âSheâs always been concerned because thereâs a real bad heart history on my momâs side. My mom was the same age as I am when she had a quadruple bypass.