SAM: Father’s Selfless Sacrifice Pushes Him to Homelessness

Currently, there are nearly 8,500 homeless men, women and children living on the streets in Maricopa County. For Sam this was much more than a local statistic – it was his daily reality.

A few years ago, Sam was a typical Arizona father, working hard and enjoying his home and life. Things were going great, but then his daughter urgently needed his assistance, and without hesitation, he selflessly put her needs before his own. As Sam cared for her and helped place her life back on track, he did not realize that he soon would also confront life changing circumstances – the loss of his job and home. Sam did the right thing as a father, but jeopardized his own future, and suddenly he was the one needing assistance. Sam’s life spun out of control and ultimately pushed him to living on the street.

Amid these turbulent times, Sam sought out, and then discovered, support to achieve increased stability through a campus for homeless individuals. There he found access to vital programs, which provided food, shelter, employment services, substance abuse counseling, housing assistance and more. Sam was able to become self sufficient, and through his hard work, earned a job as a supervising janitor at a local nonprofit. As his life became increasingly stable, Sam again reached out to support those around him. He regularly provided motivation and support to other individuals experiencing homelessness and those he supervised at the local nonprofit.

In today’s challenging economy, more individuals and families are on the brink of crisis as they lose their jobs and homes. Thousands of people, just like Sam, depend on local human care programs to find the support they need to achieve stability and pursue opportunities to positively impact our state. Many programs rely on crucial funding from government, nonprofit and private donors. Advocate for a responsible state budget – one that protects people like Sam, experiencing homelessness, and thousands of other vulnerable residents struggling to survive in Arizona.