When it comes to homelessness, Arizona, Maricopa County, and Phoenix have a serious problem.
There are about 29,000 homeless people in Arizona — one in every 227 Arizonans. And an estimated 61% of them are in Maricopa County. The number of homeless people in families is on the rise throughout Arizona, with many victims of domestic violence. According to DES, 4,346 adults and 4,095 children received help from domestic violence service providers. With very little time and effort, each and every one of us can significantly improve the lives of the homeless.
Help improve a homeless student’s life.
In our own community, there are boys and girls who go to bed hungry every night. They have enough challenges going through the stresses of living on the streets. Being hungry just adds to their anxiety and stress. Many homeless families cannot afford to provide their children with adequate meals. For many of these children, the only meals they obtain are through their school’s breakfast or lunch programs.
Homeless Engagement Lift Partnership (H.E.L.P.) is intervening to fill these hunger gaps with daily afternoon nutritional snack bags called Helpsnackz. The most effective way to intersect with the homeless children and their families is through the schools. H.E.L.P. works with the school districts’ Homeless Liaison to identify which schools, and how many of these students need food support.
This program is a stepping stone in assisting the families to break the cycle of homelessness. With the HelpSnackz Program, people like you make all the difference in the world, by sending a positive and uplifting message to students, by writing and decorating the HelpSnackz Bags.
To learn more about H.E.L.P and their mission, visit them at https://helpingthehomelessnow.org/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HomelessLiftPartnership