In 2023, grant-funded nonprofit housing projects included Central Arizona Shelter Services’ Senior Haven project, which received a $100,000 grant to provide 134 units of transitional and emergency housing for senior citizens experiencing homelessness.
In October the Arizona Housing Fund marked its five-year anniversary by celebrating $2.1 million raised and $1.7 million awarded in grants to combat homelessness in Arizona.
Bank of America executive Howard Epstein founded the Arizona Housing Fund (AZHF) in October 2019 to give the private sector an easy way to contribute to Arizona’s growing homelessness and housing crisis. Inspired by the PetSmart Charities Foundation’s cash register round-up program, the AZHF Escrow Donation Program was designed to give real estate agents, brokerages, title companies and home buyers and sellers an opportunity to donate $25 for each home sale transaction.
In the fund’s first five years, over 6,000 donations have been made, totaling $2.17 million. The Arizona Housing Fund has granted $1.7 million to 10 nonprofits, helping to fund 524 new units of housing for formerly homeless individuals.
Every dollar donated to the Arizona Housing Fund is granted to experienced Arizona nonprofits to build – or in many cases, repurpose old hotels and motels into apartments – to add new housing for the 21,682 Arizonans across the state experiencing homelessness and seeking housing and services. In many cases, these individuals are seniors, those with mental and physical disabilities, veterans, victims of abuse, and single-parent households with elementary school children.
In 2023, grant-funded nonprofit housing projects include two in the North Central area: Central Arizona Shelter Services’ Senior Haven project, which received a $100,000 grant to provide 134 units of transitional and emergency housing for senior citizens experiencing homelessness; and the Native American Connections’ Osborn Pointe project, which received a $100,000 grant to provide 48 units of permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless or disabled adults in Phoenix.
Learn more about other grants at arizonahousingfund.org/grants.
