'Being on the street isn't easy': Arizona nonprofit helps homeless couple get first apartment
A homeless couple in Phoenix, Arizona has finally found their abode.
Daniel Robinson and Dianna Hofer, who have been together for eight years and living on the streets, escaped the sweltering Arizona heat and have moved into their first apartment together.
Speaking to local media outlet KPHO, the couple said that their story proves you can turn your life around with the right help after living on the street or in parks for years.
“Being out on the street isn’t easy,” Hofer told the media outlet, adding that they always wanted an apartment together but were never able to afford one.
Their life took a turn when Phoenix Rescue Mission, a non-profit helping those facing hunger, homelessness, addiction and trauma, stepped in and to help them secure housing.
Brian Farretta, a case manager with the Phoenix Rescue Mission, told USA TODAY that their team got the couple housing in just six hours through an emergency housing voucher.
Farretta said he first got in touch with Robinson and Hofer in early June through outreach managers who knew of the couple.
"They were living at Sunnyslope, a neighborhood in Phoenix, at the time," said Farretta. The couple was transported to a hotel for a week before moving into their apartment, permanently.
Phoenix Rescue Mission was also able to fully furnish the apartment through the housing voucher, which was exciting for Hofer, who had always used second-hand furniture.
Updates from 'The Zone': Phoenix clears, cleans first block of homeless encampment
Updates from 'The Zone': Phoenix clears another block amid record-breaking heatwave
Phoenix's homeless encampment 'The Zone' hard to manage during heatwave
As Phoenix experiences the third week of a record-breaking heat wave, the city is working overtime to ensure Phoenix’s largest homeless encampment "The Zone" remains monitored. Homeless service providers in the neighborhood rotate shifts to keep people cool, hydrated and safe.
The Zone operates year-round as a community space for seniors experiencing homelessness. On hot summer days, it also doubles as an escape from the blistering heat — a reprieve that dozens of older Phoenicians queue up for each morning.
The government with the help of agencies has been working to clear the area since spring. It was already above 90 degrees when workers at the cleanup site began breaking down tents this week, shuttling people to shelters and was well over 100 degrees by the time the teams finished their work.
The block cleared Wednesday was the fifth to be cleaned and cleared since May 10, when the city began the process of closing The Zone.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arizona nonprofit helps homeless couple get first apartment
