Tempe Action agency’s I-HELP initiative brings dignity to area homeless

The East Valley's I-HELP program, an outreach of Tempe Community Action Agency, is helping area homeless find housing and employment.

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You’ve seen them on street corners around town: faces lined with care, holding cardboard signs. Those who are homeless often look defeated.

The East Valley’s I-HELP program, an outreach of Tempe Community Action Agency, is making a difference in the lives of area homeless with an innovative way of restoring dignity and hope. The I-HELP program provides the only homeless shelter in the city limits and acts as a safety net for those with nowhere else to turn.

One such individual, Antonio, is an example of how the program can help rebuild lives.

Antonio found himself homeless after a bout with cancer and two years of chemo and radiation treatment left him unable to hold a fulltime job.

That, coupled with some poor financial choices, led to a dwindling bank account. He used funds he’d inherited to pay for the medical costs insurance didn’t cover—but that left him broke. The next thing Antonio knew, he was being evicted from his apartment in Casa Grande.

He’d beaten the cancer and managed to find a job in Tempe, but that wasn’t a realistic commute. Antonio managed to stay in a hotel for two weeks, but when the money ran out, he wound up sleeping in his car, where he fell victim to pneumonia and bronchitis. Completely out of options, he turned to I-HELP for assistance.

There, case managers helped him with shelter, showers, food and financial-management skills. Within a couple of months, Antonio became the head peer monitor of the shelter program. He helped with daily activities, assigning chores, handling intake paperwork and bag checks, and more. Next, he attended a 12-hour course of “Train the Trainer” for financial literacy. He began holding bimonthly classes on what he learned in the course, along with weekly classes on encouragement and the responsibilities of being in the I-HELP program.

After seven months, Antonio began preparing to leave the program and was able to transition out of the shelter servies and into his own apartment. Today, say I-Help counselors, Antonio is still living on his own and is doing well. He and members of his local church congregation are now meal providers who come to I-HELP to serve dinners for the clients.

“I-HELP allowed me to maintain my full-time employment and obtain a place I call home with restored dignity,” Antonio said. “My experience at I-HELP was cathartic and changed my perception of being homeless.”

To assist I-HELP in its work to transform the lives of area homeless, an Oct. 23 event is being held at the Four Peaks Tasting Room, 2401 S. Wilson Street, 6-9 p.m. The festive party brings together Tempe leaders, residents and business owners for an evening of food and drink as well as musical entertainment by Walt Richardson. Tickets are $85 now through Sept. 30 and $100 beginning Oct. 1.

Information: tempeaction.org

 

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