Local nonprofit teams up with Phoenix to open nearly 100 new shelter beds for women, families

PHOENIX — To fight the growing homelessness crisis, the city of Phoenix is adding 96 new shelter beds to support women and families in need. They’ll be available to the community next week.

City leaders teamed up with local nonprofit UMOM New Day Centers to convert an office space near Van Buren and Third streets into a shelter with 20 housing units.

To celebrate the milestone, Phoenix and UMOM officials gathered together Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“Right now in our community, many single mothers with kids are facing significant challenges as their numbers are rising in our homeless population,” according to Spencer Self, the director of Phoenix’s Neighborhood Services Department. “Many of these young families are experiencing the uncertainties of not having stable housing.”

The housing units offer beds as well as cabinets, drawers, tables, refrigerators, cribs and private bathrooms, each with a shower and tub. They’ll help support their residents’ need for dignity, privacy and safety, Self said.

Phoenix mayor says project helps address homelessness

Tackling family homelessness is a top priority for the Phoenix City Council, according to Mayor Kate Gallego.

“When you house a family, you’re investing in multiple generations,” Gallego said. “If a kid has stable housing, he or she is much more likely to succeed.”

Additionally, the shelter units can house up to eight family members in one room. This helps multi-generational families, which are becoming increasingly common, she added.

“Families come in all shapes and sizes,” Gallego said. “Even better, the room is ADA-accessible. So if someone uses a wheelchair, you have a chance to have a bathroom that gives dignity.”

The City Council allocated $2 million for the project. That funding came from the city’s partnership with the Biden administration.

Who is eligible for the new 96 shelter beds in Phoenix?

Opening up the new shelter beds will reduce Maricopa County’s long shelter waitlist, according to UMOM CEO Jackson Fonder.

“That waitlist is about eight weeks long,” Jackson told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday. “The second we open this facility, which is next week, it’ll be filled up immediately and it’ll cut into that waitlist.”

There are currently 358 families who need shelter, according to the city of Phoenix.

Joining the waitlist is easy. Families who want to join the waitlist for shelter beds can dial 2-1-1 to contact the 24/7 211 Arizona service, which connects callers with various local resources. It’s also available online.

“Kids should not have to live on the street. It really bothers me, and I’m a doer, not a talker, so I wanted to do something about it,” Fonder said. “UMOM is the kind of organization that just makes it happen.”

He said this new shelter is a prime example of the way UMOM workers go above and beyond to help families become successful.

“We walk alongside them. It’s their journey. We point them in the right direction, we advise them, we put them in touch with the right resources,” Fonder said. “In the end, what you’re trying to do is create a dignified space that can lower the trauma and allow them to break this cycle.”

The KTAR Cares Collection Drive benefitting UMOM is here. You can donate much needed items at select Walgreens locations. For a list of items needed and other drop-off dates and locations near you, text “CARE” to 620620. KTAR Cares Collection Drive is Presented by THE UPS STORE.