Paradise Valley Town Council to make final vote on grant dollars May 23
By Terrance Thornton | Digital Free Press
Paradise Valley Town Council is mulling its annual community services funding allocation as town leaders ponder the best use of municipal grant dollars.
“The town has been supporting community service agencies since 1985,” said Duncan Miller, Paradise Valley town clerk, during the March 9 work session discussion at Town Hall, 6401 E. Lincoln Drive.
“And I believe the first organization the town supported was the Central Arizona Shelter Services in fiscal year ‘85-’86. Over the years, the town has supported approximately 40 different agencies.”
Funding requests most recently have focused on regional social services including efforts allocated through the Maricopa Association of Governments — through a request-for-proposal process — ranging from sheltering efforts and providing overnight beds to mental health services for those experiencing homelessness.
Mr. Miller presented three community services funding scenarios to Paradise Valley Town Council May 9: Grant funding for Central Arizona Shelter Services ($55,000) and Duet: Partners In Health and Aging ($10,000).
Furthermore, Mr. Miller points out, a fiscal year 2024-25 funding proposal for $200,000 has been presented to aid regional homeless issues in Maricopa County this next fiscal year.
Paradise Valley Town Council will make a final decision on the grant funding requests at its Thursday, May 23 regular meeting at Town Hall.
“We considered services that were not being provided by the town and not an outside organization,” Mr. Miller said of a working group formed at Town Hall to formalize grant funding recommendations. “The need for shelter services in Maricopa County has increased dramatically over the previous years.”
The unsheltered count in Maricopa County has increased 30% between 2020 and 2023, according to data provided by MAG. In response, CASS expanded its downtown shelter from 470 beds to 600 beds in 2022 sheltering a total of 5,071 individuals in its emergency shelter program, for a total of 253,302 bed nights, numbers show.
Duet, a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on serving homebound adults, is also being considered for grant dollars with users 434 homebound adults received services including five Town of Paradise Valley residents. Those services include:
- 138 one-way trips for Paradise Valley residents for doctors appointments and groceries.
- 307 new volunteers were recruited to participate in the program, including eight from the Town of Paradise Valley.
Of Note: CASS data shows a rapid rise in seniors over the age off 55 seeking sheltering services in downtown Phoenix whereas the outreach hub served 1,672 seniors last fiscal year.
In July 2023, CASS opened the Senior Haven shelter with a 170-bed capacity expected to serve 500 homeless seniors aged 55 and older.
Paradise Valley Town Council to make final vote on grant dollars May 23
Mr. Miller explained to Town Council staff’s recommendation is to move forward with the $200,000 grant funding request to be provided to MAG.
“Last year Town Council awarded it to MAG and it went to the city of Phoenix,” Mr. Miller explained. “For fiscal year 2024-25, town staff is making the same recommendation because MAG is the expert in the space.”
Through an established RFP process, Mr. Miller explained last year’s grant allocation was ultimately awarded to the Phoenix Rio Fresco Healing Center, which is operated by Community Bridges, an operator of several shelters in the Valley.
Rio Fresco is a 117-room shelter in Phoenix that can serve 460 individuals per year including three meals per day for all residents. The Healing Center leverages CBI’s full continuum of care by providing intense supportive services through case management, behavioral health services, individualized housing plans and opportunities for employment.
“The agreement between the MAG and the city of Phoenix included a provision to allow the Paradise Valley Police Department to make direct referrals to Rio Fresco,” Mr. Miller said in his report to Town Council. “To date, no referrals have been made.”
While all members of Paradise Valley Town Council expressed a sense of empathy for the plight of those experiencing homelessness the local policymakers also spoke to other considerations for the additional $200,000 allocation being directly allocated to CASS instead of a proposal process at MAG.
“Could we move some of that to CASS and eliminate it from MAG?” Paradise Valley Councilwoman Ellen Andeen asked? “I support the CASS funding and DUET funding because I support our homeless population. These are my own feelings: I am very sympathetic for our homeless … I am holding off on MAG at the moment.”
Paradise Valley Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner, who sits on the regional MAG council with other mayors from around the Valley, points out data suggests a growing need for shelter services throughout Maricopa County.
“I am just grateful that we are all in agreement in moving this issue forward,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do, we are a community among other communities and when we needed help — I can think of short-term rentals as an example — having our criteria and being able to ask them what their need points are I think the process at MAG was a good one. I really think we need to continue to be a regional partner on this issue.”
