South Salt Lake is at a turning point where important decisions require thoughtful leadership and community-wide collaboration to move forward. Chelsea Frost said it’s a time when residents, city officials, businesses and organizations must band together to improve the community for everyone within the city’s boundaries.

Frost is the coordinator for the SSL Cares Coalition and is looking for people in the city who want to be part of the work. Promise SSL and the newly formed Communities that Care Key Leader Board are launching an initiative to build safe, connected, nurturing environments for the people who live, learn, work and play in the city. 

Residents, business owners and leaders from every sector are invited to align efforts and strengthen the commitment to making SSL a place where everyone can thrive. 

“There is a role that everybody can play in this work,” said Promise SSL Deputy Director Edward Lopez. “In this model, getting that community voice is so important, so we can know exactly what the community’s needs and wants are.”

Through a funding grant, Promise SSL hired Frost based on her experience running the program in other communities. She will take what’s been done in the past to realign, refocus and reenergize the work so the city continues to see good outcomes, with additional community involvement and input.

Leaders from nonprofits, volunteer groups, public safety, civic organizations, media, local schools and churches, and parent-led groups were invited to be part of the Communities that Care Key Leader Board. Now, by forming a community coalition, the initiative will super-charge the good work already being done.

“I’m bringing evidence-based methodology that involves a structure that we know works and is effective in bringing about community change,” Frost said. “We can be a lot more targeted in the way we apply interventions to make changes in our community. It’s taking what’s already being done with the Promise program, and putting it on steroids.”

Currently, Promise SSL offers free services and resources for children, youth, adults and families. With a commitment to success, the programs include after-school programs, a teen center, housing navigation and more. 

SSL has set some big goals, including an 85% reduction in juvenile arrests and a 100% Cottonwood High School graduation rate by 2028. Part of that graduation goal includes providing 100% of basic needs for families to support a student’s education. 

The SSL Cares Coalition will track trends, improve efforts, expand cooperation and strengthen the city’s vision of nurturing residents from cradle to career. 

“By having a dedicated position now in our department, that’s Chelsea’s role, it will support the different committees in moving the work forward,” Lopez said. “Each community is going to have its own assets, its own strengths and weaknesses, so it has to be tailored to that community.”

Frost hopes residents from all walks of life will participate in the SSL Cares Coalition to ensure all voices are represented and all ideas are heard. To learn more about becoming a founding member of the coalition, visit sslc.gov/492/SSL-Cares-Coalition or email [email protected] to get information. 

“As soon as they reach out, we’ll get back to them with more details, so we just need to know their interests,” Frost said. “Coalitions are so flexible, they can serve in so many different ways. We can see what is most concerning, what are the biggest pain points. In doing a qualitative assessment, we can hear from members of the community and what their concerns are. That’s how we can decide what to prioritize.” λ