Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
What started out as a goal to permanently rehouse 2,025 people experiencing homelessness by 2025 has become a reality for St. Vincent de Paul as the nonprofit has surpassed its “Housing 2025” goal ahead of schedule.
This achievement comes right as the nonprofit’s 100 Days of Summer campaign focuses on shelter for the month of August. Building on this timing and momentum, SVdP will extend its goal to permanently rehouse an additional 250 people experiencing homelessness before the year 2025, representatives of the brand tell the Digital Free Press.
In total, SVdP has moved 2,061 people into permanent housing, including 875 single adults and 1,186 parents and children, according to a press release.
The rehousing initiative focuses on:
- Moving people into permanent housing
- Increasing SVdP’s permanent rehousing rate by 20% (a rate it far surpassed)
- Offering the community a shared goal to inspire support for neighbors experiencing homelessness
“Let this accomplishment fill us with great hope in our community,” said Shannon Clancy, SVdP’s Rob and Melani Walton Endowed CEO. “That, yes, we can rehouse people and find solutions to homelessness when we come together in a focused effort, forming real and achievable pathways off the street for those seeking better, more stable lives.”
The Maricopa Association of Governments reported that the number of people living on the streets in the Phoenix area dropped by 17% in 2024 compared to 2023. Of the 9,435 people counted in the Point-in-Time count, 43% were unsheltered and 57% were living in shelters or transitional housing.
“We are especially proud of our collaborative efforts with community partners that made achieving this goal possible,” said SVdP’s Associate Chief Program Officer Julia Matthies. We like to think that our collective work has contributed to the reduction in the number of people living on the streets.”
In 2023, Maricopa County recorded more than 645 heat-related deaths, a 52% increase from 2022, 45% of whom were people experiencing homelessness. Thanks to the work of Housing 2025, SVdP has assured that at least 2,025 people avoided such a tragic end and instead are now thriving in permanent housing.
