PHOENIX — A Valley group is working to provide sustainable housing solutions amid rising evictions.
They’re doing it by providing a bridge from shelter to independent housing.
“I was definitely on the streets, homeless… nowhere to go,” said Kordale Bryant, reflecting on a difficult time in his life. “…actually, slept at parks and anywhere safe that I could find out of the way.”
Sadly, homelessness is something Bryant knows all too well.
“COVID was really the start of me being homeless,” he said.
Bryant experienced it.
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“I lost my apartment when I was living in Baltimore… the place I was staying at, the landlord said I’m not going to renew your lease,” he said.
Kordale is far from alone. According to the Eviction Tracking System, EvictionLab.org, in August, eviction filings increased 33% in Phoenix, compared to the pre-pandemic average for the same month.
And according to the Point-in-Time Homelessness Count, published by the Maricopa Association of Governments, more families are experiencing homelessness this year.
“It was kind of hard, so I came out here to pretty much get a fresh start,” said Bryant.
After facing a list of struggles getting settled, he was referred to A New Leaf in Mesa. It’s an organization that serves more than 30,000 people every year.
“We get fed three times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, showers, a place to sleep,” he said.
At the East Valley Men’s Center, they have been providing shelter services for single homeless men for decades.
It’s a place that’s in the process of expanding their program.
“We’re going to be building 30 efficiency units on site, that’s called bridge housing,” said Laura Bode, vice president of philanthropy.
She says it’s specifically for men that are coming out of their shelter program.
“It used to be that you could spend up to 120 days here, and you could transition back into the community,” said Bode.
But she said that has become increasingly challenging.
“…lack of affordable housing, employment that pays a living wage and just a lot of barriers to getting back on your feet,” said Bode.
She believes bridge housing provides a solution.
“…meant to give gentlemen who have found employment, that have become a little more stable, that extra time that they need to really get what they need to move into independent housing,” she said.
Bode says they were able to work with the City of Mesa to secure $9 million dollars to build the project.
“We want to help manage eviction and make it easier for those who are evicted from their homes and have a place to go,” said Mark Freeman, Mesa city councilmember.
Freeman says through the partnership, they’re on a mission to help people in need become self-reliant.
“That’s what human kindness is supposed to be like,” he said.
So, people like Bryant, can experience a life transformation.
“It’s working,” said Bryant.
In addition to the 30 new housing units, they will have a community center, case management offices and offices for Circle the City, who A New Leaf partners with to provide on-site medical care.
They plan to break ground on the expansion in November.
For more information on A New Leaf, click here.
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