Program provides homeless adults with food, shelter, showers, supportive services and more
TEMPE, Ariz. (April 3, 2023) — The Arizona Lottery has announced a $50,000 partnership with the Tempe Community Action Agency (TCAA) in a joint effort to support individuals experiencing homelessness in Tempe. The partnership supports their Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program (I-HELP), which is a collaboration between TCAA and a network of 12+ faith-based organizations that provides for unsheltered adults in the community.
The Arizona Lottery joined TCAA on Thursday, March 30, to support the I-HELP program during a night they hosted the emergency shelter. TCAA’s I-HELP emergency shelter provides a place to sleep for 40 adults, a hot meal, employment assistance, housing navigation, case management, access to health care, and an array of additional services. Hot showers and laundry services are also made possible with TCAA's mobile trailers.
"We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Tempe Community Action Agency to support the I-HELP program to better serve the needs of area adults experiencing homelessness," said Chris Rogers, Arizona Lottery Deputy Director, Marketing and Products. "We recognize the demand for shelter has increased sharply in recent years and the I-HELP program provides essential services to those in need while improving their quality of life in meaningful ways."
TCAA conducts a thorough assessment and identifies and addresses with participants their unique barriers to finding and keeping permanent housing. Since the I-HELP model was launched in 2006, more than 8,000 adults have benefited from this program.
With the support of the Arizona Lottery, TCAA will be able to expand their services to help address the mental health needs of I-HELP participants and improve their overall well-being.
“We are deeply grateful to the Arizona Lottery for its support to this vital emergency shelter resource in Tempe,” said Deborah Arteaga, Tempe Community Action Agency, CEO. “I-HELP is more than a safe place to sleep; it's access to vital supports such as health care and employment that can ultimately shorten the duration of homelessness and hasten the return to a permanent home."
The Arizona Lottery has a longstanding commitment to supporting programs that benefit the public, including higher education, environmental conservation, economic development, and health and human services. This partnership with TCAA is a continuation of that commitment to help some of Arizona’s most vulnerable residents.
During the 2022 fiscal year, the Arizona Lottery transferred $1 million, generated through ticket sales, to the Arizona Department of Economic Security Homeless Services to help address homelessness across the state.
For more information on how the Arizona Lottery Gives Back, please visit www.arizonalottery.com/givesback.
To learn more about the Tempe Community Action Agency and their programs, please visit www.tempeaction.org.
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About Arizona Lottery
Since 1981, the Arizona Lottery and its retail partners have generated more than $5.1 billion in net funding to support programs that help to improve the quality of life for the people of Arizona. Proceeds from Lottery ticket sales fund programs in higher education, economic development, environmental conservation, and health and human services. The mission of the Lottery is to support Arizona programs for the public benefit by maximizing net revenue in a responsible
manner. Learn more at ArizonaLottery.com
About Tempe Community Action Agency
Tempe Community Action Agency (TCAA) fosters dignity and self-reliance in the economically vulnerable within the communities we serve. We help those who are struggling to obtain adequate food, shelter and income support, as well as seniors and disabled adults working to attain their highest level of independence. Acting with financial support from the community we serve, TCAA operates a food pantry, Senior Independence Programs, the Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Shelter (I-HELP), Community Action Program, healthy families programming, a community garden, Financial Success Center, and other projects and programs that serve adults seeking to improve their quality of life. For more information, please visit tempeaction.org.
