These partner agencies have proven records of providing basic services to individuals and families in need
The equivalent of 14.8 million meals was distributed through the Emergency & Supplemental Food Assistance Program to almost 27,000 hungry, food insecure and at-risk people in Mesa during the past year. The United Food Bank provides emergency and supplemental food from multiple sources to a network of Mesa social service agencies for their food assistance services.
During the year, Mesa United Way provided support to foster children and families through Helen’s Hope Chest by providing clothing, shoes, school supplies, hygiene items, and books to 2,204 children. In addition, more than 1,400 children in foster homes received holiday gifts. This assistance helps foster parents remain in a program that has seen declining support from the State.
The La Mesita Family Homeless Shelter provides families with children a safe alternative to life on the streets. Five hundred forty-nine individuals received assistance from this program by A New Leaf during the past year. Fifty-eight percent of the families exiting La Mesita during the last quarter (April-June 2011) reported that they had secured safe and stable housing.
The Arizona Adoption and Foster Care program provides training, licensing/certification services and monitoring of resource homes that care for foster children from Maricopa County. This program, run by the Child Crisis Center, licensed/certified or re-licensed/re-certified 225 homes during this past year. Additionally, 22 Mesa families were in the process of becoming licensed or certified at the end of the year.
Almost 8,200 safe nights of shelter and safety from domestic violence were provided to women in need through the My Sister’s Place program of Catholic Charities Community Services during the past year. These women received counseling and access to tools and resources necessary to secure a safe future. One hundred percent of adults surveyed reported improved safety when they left the program; 92 percent knew how to plan for their continued safety and over 75 percent had a better understanding of their rights and legal options.
The Autumn House provided a safe haven for 220 adults and children who were victims of domestic violence during the past year. A New Leaf reported that 80 percent of their clients reported a greater sense of power, control and/or hope in their lives upon exiting the program.
I-Help (Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program) provides shelter, food and counseling to homeless women in the community. This Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest program provided over 2,900 shelter nights and evening meals to 100 percent of the women who sought help during the past year. With the assistance of the program’s Case Workers, 50 percent of the participants engaged in additional services including developing a life plan to obtain employment and stable housing. During the last quarter (April-June 2011), ten women found employment and five obtained safe and stable housing.
Low income and working poor individuals and families can receive assistance with rent and utility payments through the Client Services and Work Assistance–Supplemental program at Mesa Community Action Network, Inc. During this past year 3,480 households were helped by this program. One hundred percent of the households that received utility assistance during the last quarter (April-June 2011) were able to avoid utility shutoff. Twenty percent were able to avoid eviction and 80 percent were referred to local community and/or faith-based partners.
During the past year, 279 homeless men received food and shelter at the East Valley Men’s Center in Mesa. This facility, run by A New Leaf, helps these men get off the streets and back into the economic and social mainstream. Sixty-two percent of the residents demonstrated improved skill in five domains for at least 30 days based on their participation in the programs at the center.
The Paz de Cristo Community Center increases food security for the homeless, near-homeless, working poor and those living in poverty by feeding them a nutritious meal every evening of the year. Over 99,000 meals were served by the Evening Meal Service program during the past year. Fifty-six percent of the guests were homeless. Many of the homeless women in the I-Help program at Lutheran Social Service of the Southwest utilize this program for their evening meals.
The Child Crisis Center provided 8,404 nights of shelter to children in need during the past year under their Emergency Shelter Program. During the last quarter (April-June), 97 children resided at the shelter for 1985 nights. All of these children were provided a safe, homelike environment to stay during a time of crisis.
The Special Friends Mentoring Program matches caring adults with children in Arizona’s foster care system who have no mother or father in their lives. During this past year, 94 matches were successfully completed by Aid to Adoption of Special Kids Arizona, helping these young people gain self-esteem, support, and skills through their relationship with a positive adult role model.
During the past year, 62 children and youth who have grown up in the foster care system in our community were provided assistance by the EMPOWER program. This program of A New Leaf helps foster children who are “aging-out” to successfully transition into adulthood and independence in a safe, stable, healthy and supportive manner. Seventy-five percent of the youth were enrolled and attending school. Seventy-five percent of the youth in the program were employed.