3-14-11 Arizona Organizing Project Greater Phoenix Common Grant Application
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I. Grantmaker’s Interest and Priorities Please explain how your grant request meets this particular grantmaker’s published interests. DEPENDENT ON GRANTMAKERII. Organizational Background The Arizona Organizing Project was launched in 2010 with the aim of developing and nurturing healthy, effective and powerful peer organizations of homeless and formerly homeless individuals by utilizing tools drawn from the best community organizing and recovery model curriculum. Our mission is to foster healthy, sustainable communities organized and led by people emerging from poverty. Our primary objective is to end chronic poverty in Arizona by providing a participative and inclusive environment where peer groups of people living in chronic poverty successfully collaborate to provide services, transform policies affecting theirlives, and reshape our Arizona communities to sustainable health and prosperity. Our target population includes people who are homeless in Central Phoenix. Our efforts have been effective in engaging hundreds of people currently homeless to create sustainable solutions to poverty. 1. Internship Program with Housing and Stipends: Designed to provide a stable living environment for people who are formerly homeless, we incorporate hands on leadership development in neighborhood organizing and life skills development. 2. Neighborhood Leadership Institute: We organize and train homeless leaders who create neighborhood organizations that transform health and well being of their communities. 3. Recovery Model Mental Health Services: In collaboration with Recovery Empowerment Network, we use a recovery empowerment model curriculum in our housing and services programs that provides a peer run approach to creating opportunity for those with behavioral health issues, mental illness, or the effects of homelessness to heal and grow. 4. Community Center: We provide food, clothing, recovery counseling, wellness checks, access to computers, instruction in career development skills, and assistance for public benefits, arts and movement classes, and educational curriculum including via our Peer-to-Peer Help Desk. 5. Social Enterprise Development: We work with people currently living in chronic poverty with a desire to be social entrepreneurs and create partnerships with companies and community leaders to mentor and teach job skills. This causes empowering economic social change. 6. Peer Group Organizing: Currently, we work with 5 peer-run homeless organizations: Women of Wealth, Madison Street Veterans Association; Jefferson Street Gentleman’s Association (Seniors); Phoenix Street Life; Capitol Mall Fellows (Former Inmates). Our staff includes George Roundy, Executive Director, a technology business leader who brings over 30 years of involvement with The Hunger Project, including serving on the national staff. Scott Jacobson, M.A., our Director of Development, has raised funds for Phoenix Area agencies such as Arizona Department of Behavioral Health Services, Magellan and the Human Services Campus. Bill Black, Community Organizer, formerly managed the Men’s Overflow Shelter at the Campus and there organized homeless peer groups and a volunteer corps. Susi Morales, BHT, Operations Manager, has extensive experience in the Recovery Method of mental health treatment. Elizabeth Venable, M.A. M.P.A., Grant Writer/Public Policy Organizer, worked At A New Way of Life, Reentry Project, reentry housing for formerly incarcerated women in Watts founded by a formerly incarcerated woman, and the National Coalition for the Homeless. Interns and volunteers help to staff our peer-run programs and provide access to curriculum in our new community center. Currently we are developing a board of directors separate from the Atwood Health Foundation, which has offered oversight and financial management as our fiscal sponsor. 1
