Homelessness is on the rise. How this group is helping Arizona families

At UMOM New Day Centers, families facing homelessness in Phoenix find more than a place to stay — they gain resources to rebuild their lives and secure stability in the long term.

“We really focus on not just ending homelessness, but helping the families to be able to proceed to their life with dignity and build up their confidence again,” said Ashley Oakley, director of philanthropy at UMOM.

Throughout its 60 years of operation, UMOM became the largest provider of emergency shelter to families in the Phoenix area, operating around 75% of all available beds in Maricopa County. Every night, the organization provides shelter and supportive services to nearly 800 people experiencing homelessness, including 155 families and 130 single women.

Jackson Fonder, chief executive officer at the organization, said there is an urgent need for these services in the Phoenix area as housing prices climb and homelessness is on the rise.

“After COVID happened, it coincided with higher inflation, higher rent, higher housing prices. So what we’re seeing is more and more families fall into homelessness,” Fonder said. “I would say that we are we are at a time right now where more families are experiencing homelessness than ever.”

According to the Maricopa Association of Government’s homelessness trends report for the second quarter of 2024, more than 1,000 families in the Phoenix area were experiencing homelessness by the end of the first half of the year —an increase of nearly 70 families compared to the previous quarter.

This figure represents roughly 4,000 individuals on top of the more than 9,000 people from non-family households also experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County. The association defines “actively homeless” households as those that have recently engaged with homeless service providers.

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Jobs + housing = ending homelessness

However, Fonder believes that addressing homelessness requires more than helping people temporarily off the streets. “Jobs plus housing equals ending homelessness,” he said, citing the organization’s base formula, which is why the organization has made job resources and permanent housing central to its mission.

“A lot of families just struggle with everyday things and fall through the cracks,” Fonder said. “We’re able to help them bounce back up and get a hand up and to find a job and to find another apartment. And I think that’s what UMOM does best.”

Through partnerships with other local organizations, UMOM gives its families a thorough array of services, including health care, workforce training, healthy food, basic financial training, educational resources and connections to permanent housing.

Besides offering adults resources to get back on their feet, UMOM also helps children experiencing homelessness remain in school and engage in activities that foster a positive environment in their communities and enhance their academic performance.

More than half of people receiving services through the organization are kids under the age of 18, Oakley said. “They need support and never chose to be in that situation … helping our program is helping homeless children as well.”

The approach has proven successful in helping families not only temporarily get out of homelessness, but completely break the cycles that pushed them into that situation in the first place. Oakley noted that about 85% of clients who seek services through UMOM find permanent housing, far exceeding the Maricopa County average of 63%.

The key behind all of it, Oakley said, is the organization’s individualized focus and the compassion and empathy that staff and volunteers put into connecting each person with the services and resources they need.

“Everyone who works with our clients is extremely dedicated to their success,” Oakley said. “We really offer everything here on campus that a client will need to permanently end their homelessness.”

Stopping homelessness before it happens

Another significant focus of the organization lies in prevention and awareness. Findings from the homelessness trends report also showed there are more people entering homelessness than leaving it. From July 2023 through June 2024, 19 new people experienced homelessness for every 10 people finding housing, the report showed.

UMOM has opened 11 affordable housing complexes around the Valley and is committed to building or renovating one complex every year. This year, the organization broke ground on La Esperanza Terrace, an affordable housing community of about 96 units located in Maryvale. The complex was expected to begin leasing in 2025 to families earning 60% or less of the area’s median income.

The organization also works to help educate the community about homelessness to foster a culture of understanding and compassion.

“Everyone has a very specific story and a very specific path,” Oakley said. “They are good people who have worked hard and have come across a set of really unfortunate circumstances for the most part.”

Oakley encouraged anyone interested in learning more about homelessness and the work of UMOM to call the organization or tour their campus to learn more about their programs and services.

“If anyone is curious to learn more, please contact us. We would be happy to host them on campus for a tour and a conversation and a coffee,” she said. “Any feelings of wanting to give back, listen to that instinct. We’d love to be able to help you give back.”

How to support the work of UMOM

Oakley said there are multiple ways people can support or get involved with the work of the organization:

Donate for Giving Tuesday: People’s donations to UMOM will be matched and doubled during the organization’s Giving Tuesday campaign, from Nov. 12 to Dec. 3.
Host a donation drive: People can host an in-kind drive for essential and most-needed items. Those interested can contact giftsinkind@umom.org to coordinate the group donation.
Drop off items: People can also drop off donations for families and single women at the organization’s warehouse located at 2107 E Magnolia Street in Phoenix. The drop-off window is Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. People can find a list of most-needed items as well as items that are not accepted at www.umom.org/donate-items.
Volunteer: People can find multiple volunteer opportunities at UMOM, from becoming community advocates and supporting events to helping families move in and out every week at the campus. “People can come in and help in a variety of ways and it’s pretty easy to do and it’s a lot of fun work,” Fonder said. People can learn more at umom.org/volunteer.
Become a monthly donor: People can set up automatic monthly donations at www.umom.org/give-monthly.

How Season for Sharing is helping Arizona families

UMOM is just one of the groups that received funding from Season for Sharing to help Arizona families.

Here are a few other groups that are making a difference in the state and how Season for Sharing is helping:

Arizona Food Bank Network: The Arizona Food Bank Network used its grant to help deliver 50 million pounds of fresh, nutritious produce, much of which would otherwise be wasted, to hunger relief organizations across Arizona.
Chicanos Por La Causa: Chincanos Por La Causa used its grant on its De Colores Youth Program, which provided 102 children residing in our Domestic Violence Shelter with support services to help them heal from the negative consequences of exposure to domestic violence.
Chrysalis Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence: Chrysalis Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence Inc. used its grant to give services to over 1,600 individuals and families fleeing domestic abuse and provide over 40,000 nutritious meals.
Helping Hands for Single Moms: Helping Hands for Single Moms used its grant to provide rental assistance and services to low-income, single-mom college students and their families. These women would be able to move their families from poverty to financial independence.
Maggie’s Place: Maggie’s Place used its grant to support its Family Success Center, which provides childcare and interactive children’s programming for children while their moms joined in educational, workforce, employment, groups and services in Maricopa County. Its Family Success Center provided education, resources, and support services, which were required to increase economic stability for 300 moms and families, leading to self-sufficiency in Maricopa County.
The Salvation Army: The Salvation Army used its grant to serve holiday meals and provide seasonal assistance to thousands of community members in need, including children, seniors and those experiencing homelessness in metro Phoenix.
Short Creek Dream Center: The Short Creek Transitional Housing used its grant to pay for housing and therapy for four families, each with an average of seven children, for two months. This allowed the families to escape homelessness, human tracking and abuse from polygamy in northern Arizona.

How to donate to Season for Sharing

There are several ways you can donate to Season for Sharing and help organizations like UMOM continue to help families in need.

Fill out the secure online form at sharing.azcentral.com.
Text “SHARING” to 91-999 and click on the link in the text message.
Go online at facebook.com/seasonforsharing and look for the featured “DONATE HERE” post.
Clip the coupon on Page 4A of The Arizona Republic, fill it out and mail it to P.O. Box 29250, Phoenix, AZ 85038-9250.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: UMOM New Day Centers help end the cycle of homelessness

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