St. Vincent de Paul expands programs to address homelessness

Homelessness in Arizona is at a critical point, but St. Vincent de Paul is committed to doing its part.

Shannon Clancy, SVdP’s Rob & Melani Walton Endowed CEO, joined “Arizona Horizon,” to discuss more about her company’s initiatives during the Holiday efforts.

This nonprofit runs almost entirely on volunteers and recently increased its meal production. As a result of the increasing needs, the company increased its meal production to 7,000 meals per day.

It has also opened two new transitional housing shelters on its main Watkins Campus in Phoenix. This new addition expands their bed count to 231 beds in total, with funding coming from the City of Phoenix, Maricopa County, the state of Arizona, and private donations.

The new transitional housing building comes from SVdP’s Housing 2025 initiative to permanently rehouse 2,025 individuals experiencing homelessness in 2025. Since the start of October 2022, the nonprofit has achieved permanent housing for 1,835 individuals through its many programs.

The new building will have three programs, De Paul Manor, Marion and Bob Auray Companion Animal Clinic, and Workforce Development Program.

De Paul Manor features 100 beds for unhoused seniors and adults living with disabilities. This program is modeled after Ozanam Manor, which boasted a 98% success rate of graduated residents not returning to homelessness services one year after moving out.

The Marion and Bob Auray Companion Animal Clinic will be SVdP’s first animal clinic. They will partner with Midwestern University Animal Health Institute to provide much-needed animal services. The Workforce Development Program will serve as a training center and office space that will support SVdP transitional housing residents as they work toward stable employment.