It's ugly out there. Just ask Geoff Doiron.
Since he started a support group for the unemployed called The Layoff Lounge, he's heard dozens of sad stories, many worse than his own.
There's the attorney who's been out of work for more than a year, the graphic artist who was let go two weeks ago and is now struggling to find a job — any job — to save his home, the charity worker who once raised funds for the needy and is now applying for food stamps herself.
"A lot of people are in shock," says Doiron, 43, who lost his job in development and fundraising for Ballet West four months ago. "I've seen people in all kinds of occupations dropping like flies. Their career has been their identity, and now that it's gone, they're wondering, 'What am I going to do now for the rest of my life?' "
That answer might become a little easier to figure out thanks to Doiron, who hosts meetings of The Layoff Lounge every Wednesday afternoon at Salt Lake City's Sprague Library.
After he and several other Ballet West employees lost their jobs, Doiron awoke at 3 a.m. that first night with a feeling of panic. Determined to turn his emotions into something positive, he flipped on the lights and sat down at his computer to come up with an action plan.
"Besides filing for unemployment, I knew I needed to network and find some support," he says. "I'd heard of 'layoff lounges' in other cities, but they were more like social clubs. I decided, 'How about if I started a Layoff Lounge where people in the same boat that I am can get some help?' "
After posting notices at the library and setting up a Web site at meetup.com, Doiron held his first meeting two weeks later. Since then, "we've had anywhere from five to 25 people come each week," he says. "If anything else, it gets us out of the house and forces us to make some human contact."
With more people losing their jobs and spending their days with their cats and four walls, Doiron wanted to get the word out about his group over a Free Lunch of chicken kabobs and salad at the Mazza restaurant near his home in Salt Lake City's 9th and 9th neighborhood.
"I don't get to eat out much since I lost my job," he says, sipping a fresh limeade. "That's one of the first things I cut back — that and driving. One of the first things you learn when you're let go is how to stretch a dollar."
At The Layoff Lounge, members hear advice from guest speakers about how to budget their unemployment checks, update a resume, find a temporary job to keep the bills paid and prepare inexpensive, healthy meals to keep their strength up.
"You get worn out from all the rejections and almost want to give up," says Doiron, who has applied for several hundred jobs, "but it's so important to take care of yourself and try to stay positive."
"When I feel down, I think of what I do have: I have a roof over my head; I have food in my refrigerator; I have a loving partner. That's a lot more than many have."
On that note, Doiron is planning Layoff Lounge field trips to do service projects at the Road Home homeless shelter downtown.
"I truly believe that if you do something good for somebody else, it will come back to you," he says. Hopefully in the form of a solid job offer with lots of benefits.
Have a story? You do the talking, I'll buy the lunch. E-mail your name, phone number and what you'd like to talk about to freelunch@desnews.com