# Source: The Other Side Academy Official Website

**Type:** source
**Status:** Useful
**Confidence:** Medium
**Source Type:** official-page
**URL:** https://www.theothersideacademy.com/
**Archive:** https://web.archive.org/web/20260709120858/https://www.theothersideacademy.com/
**Archived:** 2026-07-09
**Publisher:** The Other Side Academy
**Raw:** raw/the-other-side-academy-official-website/2026-08-11-50046eb60804.txt
**Retrieved:** 2026-08-12
**Updated:** 2026-08-11
**Relates:** cites [The Other Side Academy](the-other-side-academy.md) · https://greatutah.work/pages/the-other-side-academy.md · https://www.theothersideacademy.com/

## Summary

The Other Side Academy homepage — the organization's own description of who the program serves, how
long students stay, how it funds itself, and which social enterprises it names in site navigation.

## Useful Claims

- Describes itself as a **training school** for people emerging from incarceration, addiction, or
  homelessness, with many applicants described as **convicts, substance abusers or homeless**.
- Requires a **thirty-month** commitment for admission.
- Calls itself a **"classic therapeutic community"** using peer influence rather than therapists.
- States it is **self-sustaining through vocational training schools** where students work full
  time; names **Thrift Boutique** work among student roles.
- Site navigation lists Salt Lake City enterprises (**Moving & Storage**, **Thrift Boutique**,
  **Builders**) and Denver enterprises (**Designer Storage**, **Moving & Storage**, **Furniture
  Boutique**), implying operations in both cities.

## Verbatim

> "The Other Side Academy is a training school in which students learn pro-social, vocational and life skills allowing them to emerge with a healthy life on “the other side”."
> — Homepage, "Who is this for?", opening

> "Many of those who seek entrance into the Academy are convicts, substance abusers or homeless."
> — Homepage, "Who is this for?"

> "Those seeking admission into the Academy commit to attending for thirty months."
> — Homepage, "Who is this for?"

> "In addition to learning self-governance, students work full time at one of our vocational training schools. We are self-sustaining through these training schools."
> — Homepage, "Who is this for?"

> "Whether a student cooks, cleans the Academy, or runs the register at the Thrift Boutique, everyone contributes as a part of the team."
> — Homepage, "Who is this for?"

> "The Other Side Academy is a “classic therapeutic community.”"
> — Homepage, "Who is this NOT for?"

> The Other Side Academy is not for those seeking a quick fix to a lifetime of poor habits. A student commits to thirty months in-residence, and in many cases, this is instead of serving a prison sentence. The student may not leave campus without staff approval. The Academy does not accept sex offenders, arsonists, “dual diagnosis” applicants, or others who need special counseling we aren’t equipped to offer.
> — Admissions criteria

## Reliability Notes

Self-reported tier. Establishes what the organization says about its model, population, commitment
length, and funding mechanism; it does not establish outcome rates (those appear on a separate
`/results` page not captured here). Navigation links to Denver businesses imply a Denver presence
but this homepage capture does not name a Denver street address or use the word "campus."

**Two staleness signals worth carrying.** Both Academy captures end with the footer "©2019 The Other
Side Academy," and the how-it-works document is served from `/how-it-works-1` — a duplicated CMS path
rather than the canonical-looking `/how-it-works`, which redirects to it. Neither proves the content
is out of date, but together they mean present-tense claims sourced here (including "no government
money") describe a page the organization may not have revised in years. Anything time-sensitive
should be confirmed against a dated source before being asserted.

## Related Pages

- [The Other Side Academy](the-other-side-academy.md)
- [Source: The Other Side Academy — How It Works](the-other-side-academy-how-it-works.md)
- [Source: The Other Side Village Official Website](the-other-side-village-official-website.md)