Code Red

Phoenix Rescue Mission Launches 10th Code:Red Campaign

| Filed in Code Red, Donate, Events, Homeless, Homelessness, News Release, Phoenix Rescue Mission, Press Release, Water Drive

Nonprofit Accepting Monetary, Nonperishable Food and Water Donations for Heat Relief

PHOENIX – As temperatures begin to creep upward and summer months roll closer, Phoenix Rescue Mission is kicking off its 10th annual, city-wide Code:Red Summer Heat Relief Campaign to save the lives of the city’s unhoused and at-risk individuals. According to Maricopa County, at least 130 individuals experiencing homelessness died from heat-related causes in 2021. The nonprofit’s goal is to protect our most vulnerable population by collecting and distributing one million bottles of water.

From May 1 through August 31, PRM is providing essential resources to sustain the city’s homeless population, such as nonperishable food and water supplies. Ahead of this Valley-wide undertaking, the Mission is seeking monetary, nonperishable food and water donations. Monetary donations will be matched up to $150,000, made possible by a grant by several supporters of Phoenix Rescue Mission.

“During the summer months in Phoenix, asphalt can heat up to a deadly 170 degrees. Anything above 104 degrees can cause brain damage and death,” said Phoenix Rescue Mission CEO Ken Brissa. “While many Valley residents find respite indoors, our unhoused neighbors cannot take shelter from the heat and need help that can come to them.”

Several municipalities, including Avondale, Peoria, Glendale, Goodyear, Surprise, El Mirage, and Scottsdale, have created partnerships with the Mission, bringing relief to the streets in the Mission’s Hope Coach vehicles to distribute water, toiletries and case management services.

“Anything helps in this undertaking to save and change lives, whether it’s through a small monetary donation, dropping off a case of water or starting a water drive,” said Brissa. “This is so much more than a handout of water. This is arming people with the tools to change their lives and move out of harm’s way.”

More information about the 10th annual Code:Red initiative can be found Red Summer Heat Relief Campaign here. Food, water, and all other heat-relief donations can be dropped off at the Mission’s Donation Warehouse, located at 2515 N. 34th Drive in Phoenix. The Mission is also in need of volunteers to help distribute vital, nutritious food to families in need at its Hope for Hunger Food Bank in Glendale.

For more information on what to donate or to start a Code:Red drive, please contact gikhelp@phxmission.org or 602-346-3347.

DONATE HERE

Summer Is Here – What Can I Do?

| Filed in Code Red, Homelessness, Mission Dish

4 Helpful Tips from Manette Torres - Homeless Street Outreach Case Manager

Before joining our Street Outreach Team, I spent more than 20 years caught in the chains of addiction. I know first-hand what it’s like on the streets of our city, and how deadly they can be during the summer for those caught unaware.

When God reached out, broke those chains, and turned my life around – I knew the best way to give thanks was to help others find the same freedom and transformation.

But summer is right around the corner and time is short. We’re in a race against time and temperature and we need to work together to reach as many as possible before the streets turn deadly once again.

Manette Torres, Homeless Street Outreach Case Manager

Here are a few tips that can make a real impact and save the life of someone on the street:

1. Be Prepared.

It’s hot and you are going to run into someone in need of help. Be ready! Keep water bottles and a Summer Hope Tote or two in your car this summer ready to give away. Build yours at phxmission.org/hopetote.

2. Talk with them.

Say hello. Show them your heart. Asking if they have a place to stay the night or a plan for the future can be a great way to engage in a quick conversation while at a stop light.

3. Point them to the Mission.

Guide them toward a solution by handing out one of the enclosed Rescue Referral cards or print your own at phxmission.org/referral. Tell them you support the Mission, and it could be a place their needs can be met.

4. Pray.

This is most important – only God can change hearts! Don’t forget to pray for those on the streets and for those battling addiction or dealing with mental health issues. Pray that their physical and emotional needs are met, and their spiritual hunger is satisfied. And please pray for the staff and volunteers at the Mission as we search for those who need help and engage them with solutions.

Last summer, 252 men and women in Maricopa County lost their lives due to heat-related causes. As a community we need to step up and reach out to those who may not know how deadly our summer can be.

Together, we can make a difference by connecting people in harm’s way with the resources that keep them safe and transform lives!

Churches and Businesses:

Want tips for the best ways to help the homeless in your specific community? Check out our video training and other resources at phxmission.org/churches

Code:Red 2021 Breaks New Ground!

| Filed in Code Red, Homelessness, Hope Coach, Mission Dish, Water Drive

Growing collaboration made Code:Red 2021 a resounding success!

We all knew 2021 was going to be a record-breaking summer. With your support, Phoenix Rescue Mission went into overdrive, collaborating with local municipalities, making arrangements with service providers and beefing up our own staff to make sure we reached as many vulnerable people as possible before the temperatures turned deadly.

2021 Highlights:

  • Added 6 additional Case Managers and 1 Supervisor to our Street Outreach team – dramatically growing the number of solutions-focused engagements with people on the streets to 2,643. What’s more, a record 207 of those we reached were rescued in the nick of time. God is good!
  • In a new partnership with Maricopa County, we provided heat relief transportation each morning and evening throughout the summer to men, women, and families caught without shelter. Our driver safely shuttled them to and from the gathering point at the Human Services Campus to the heat relief station set up in collaboration with St. Vincent De Paul.
  • We helped create the Glendale Homeless Services Alliance, a gathering of multiple service providers in the city of Glendale whose goal is to provide a “no wrong door” approach to homeless services. Located at the Norton Ramsey Empowerment Center, those experiencing homelessness, unemployment, or other obstacles have more opportunity to receive help and hope than ever before.
  • As a part of the alliance, Phoenix Rescue Mission was able to begin offering 6-month emergency housing vouchers this summer to get qualified individuals out of the heat and into a space where they can put their life back on track.

Through it all, friends like you donated an incredible amount of water and other critical resources that we took directly to the streets. Over four months, we distributed 605,273 bottles of life-saving water, keeping our homeless neighbors safely awash in hydration – exactly what was needed during our extreme summer months.

Code:Red 2021 was a resounding success – and it’s because friends like you made it possible.

Thank you for helping keep our vulnerable neighbors safe!

Phoenix Rescue Mission Sets Record for Street Rescues

| Filed in Code Red, Homeless, Homelessness, Hope Coach, News Release

Phoenix Rescue Mission Sets Record for Street Rescues In May & June 2021

Street Outreach team rescues 120 men, women and children from homelessness since launch of Code:Red in May

PHOENIX (July 27, 2021) – As the Valley reaches record-breaking temperatures, Phoenix Rescue Mission is also breaking records. The Mission’s Street Outreach Team rescued a monumental 120 men, women and children off the streets since launching its Code:Red Summer Heat Relief effort in May.

“Our Street Outreach teams have been working tirelessly to find and rescue people from the hot sun and, frankly, the streets in general,” Nathan Smith, Chief Program Officer, said. “We knew they were making an impact, but it wasn’t until the numbers came in that we were truly blown away. In 2020, our average was 27 each month, but we broke our all-time record in May with 60 rescues, which is amazing. But then we hit that number again in June, and that’s when we realized our success was not a fluke."

"Because of the passion and care our teams bring to the streets, the partnerships we are building in cities around the Valley, and the strong support of the community, it makes sense that we’re making incredible progress."

Among the 120 rescues this summer was a single mother and her five children who found themselves in dire straits when a move to Phoenix from Indianapolis didn’t go as planned. Down to her last few dollars, the mother had only one option—to use her car for shelter, a deadly proposition in the Valley of the Sun. But thanks to the Mission’s Street Outreach Team, the mother and her children were rescued before they spent a single night on the streets. After helping the mother re-connect with family back home, the team provided bus tickets for them to make it home safely.

That mother’s story is just one of many rescues that could not have been possible without the recent expansion of the Mission’s Street Outreach Team, which now boasts a fleet vehicles capable of going where the need is at, searching for and rescuing vulnerable individuals and families like this mother and her children.

This coordinated effort is largely possible because of several public-private partnerships between Phoenix Rescue Mission and local municipalities, including Glendale, Goodyear, Peoria, Avondale, Scottsdale and Surprise. Each municipality works closely with the Mission’s Street Outreach Team to identify those in need and connect them with the appropriate solutions to help them re-enter society and reach their potential. Whether addiction recovery, mental health support, vocational development, food assistance or housing, the Street Outreach vans are available to pick up the individuals and transport them to either Phoenix Rescue Mission or an appropriate organization or destination that will serve the needs of that person.

The expansion of the Mission’s Street Outreach Team is the latest example of the nonprofit’s continued goal of growing and meeting the needs of those it serves by focusing on community impact in a fiscally responsible way.

“For decades, we have been providing Christ-centered, life-transforming solutions to persons facing hunger, homelessness, addiction, and trauma,” Nathan Smith said. “Our staff and volunteers are equipped with proven, time-tested programming to help those within our residential recovery programs undo lifelong strongholds that may be at the root of their suffering and find their purpose in life.”

More information about the Code:Red Summer Heat Relief initiative can be found here. Food, water, and all other heat-relief donations can be dropped off at the Mission’s Donation Warehouse, located at 3440 W. Lewis Ave., Building A, Suite G, in Phoenix.  The Mission is also in need of volunteers to help distribute vital, nutritious food to families in need at its Hope for Hunger Food Bank in Glendale.

For more information on what to donate or to start a Code:Red drive, please contact Catie Hammann at gikhelp@phxmission.org or 602-346-3347.

 

Phoenix Rescue Mission:

Phoenix Rescue Mission provides Christ-centered, life-transforming solutions to persons facing hunger, homelessness, addiction, and trauma. The nonprofit Mission, which has been operating since 1952, is asking the public for support of its many programs designed to transform lives, including Hope for Hunger Food Bank, Hope Coach Street Outreach, Temporary Shelter Programs, Men’s Addiction Recovery Program and the Changing Lives Center for Women and Children.

 

Media Contacts:

Ryan Brown, Phoenix Rescue Mission, cell: (302) 359-6780, rbrown@phxmission.org

Josh Skalniak, Lambert & Co., cell: (480) 352-2050, jskalniak@lambert.com

2021 Code:Red Summer Heat Relief Effort

| Filed in Code Red, Homeless, Hope Coach, News Release, Water Drive

2021 Code:Red Heat Relief Effort Launches May 10

Phoenix Rescue Mission to partner with public to prevent heat-related and COVID-related deaths and illnesses among the homeless and at-risk

PHOENIX (April 30, 2021) – Phoenix Rescue Mission is launching its 9th annual, city-wide Code:Red Summer Heat Relief Campaign to ensure the Valley’s homeless population and at-risk individuals do not fall victim to the hot summer months ahead.

Beginning May 10, through August 31, the large-scale heat relief initiative and water drive is raising the level of need for this year’s campaign, due to the continuing risks of COVID-19. In addition to water and other heat relief items, the Mission is asking the public to help support the campaign with monetary donations and non-perishable food drives. Monetary donations, which will be essential to meet the increased need during the difficult months ahead, will be matched up to $150,000 – made possible by a grant from several friends of the Phoenix Rescue Mission.

The Mission also launched a system for individuals and companies to easily set up digital fundraising drives to make socially distanced collections even simpler.

“As we approach the 10th anniversary of Code:Red, the need for public support could never be higher,” Phoenix Rescue Mission CEO Ken Brissa said. “In addition to battling triple-digit temperatures, the number of homeless men and women in our community has continued to climb while the pandemic limits access to many resources and services.”

Several municipalities, including Goodyear, Peoria, Avondale, Scottsdale, Surprise, and Glendale, have joined the effort and will work with the Mission’s Street Outreach staff as they comb Valley streets in a small fleet of Hope Coach vehicles providing water, toiletries, and case management services to those in need. The Mission’s outreach teams will be following the CDC’s COVID-19 safety protocols while providing personalized care that removes the barriers that keep people stuck in a cycle of homelessness.

“Anyone can help us save lives this summer, no matter if you’re an individual who wants to make a small donation online, a small business owner who’d like to start a food or water drive, or if you just want to drop off a case of water,” Brissa said. “It’s important to note that we’re not just handing out water and making people feel better. We’re building relationships with those in need and helping to remove the barriers to get them off the streets for good.”

More information about the Code:Red initiative can be found here. Food, water, and all other heat-relief donations can be dropped off at the Mission’s Donation Warehouse, located at 3440 W. Lewis Ave., Building A, Suite G, in Phoenix.  The Mission is also in need of volunteers to help distribute vital, nutritious food to families in need at its Hope for Hunger Food Bank in Glendale.

For more information on what to donate or to start a Code:Red drive, please contact Catie Hammann at  gikhelp@phxmission.org or 602-346-3347.

 

Phoenix Rescue Mission:

Phoenix Rescue Mission is a leading provider of Christ-centered, life-transforming solutions to persons facing hunger, homelessness, addiction, and trauma. The nonprofit Mission, which has been operating since 1952, is asking the public for support of its many programs designed to transform lives, including Hope for Hunger Food Bank, Hope Coach Street Outreach, Temporary Shelter Programs, Men’s Addiction Recovery Programs, and the Changing Lives Center for Women and Children.

 

Media Contacts:

Ryan Brown, Phoenix Rescue Mission, office: (602) 346-3352; cell: (302) 359-6780, rbrown@phxmission.org

Josh Skalniak, Lambert & Co., cell: (480) 352-2050 jskalniak@lambert.com