The organization defines a \u201crescue\u201d as any instance where it helps someone transition off the streets, whether by securing shelter, temporary or permanent housing or enrolling them in a recovery program.<\/p>\n
Sergio Armendariz, the nonprofit\u2019s street outreach coordinator, often spends his days distributing water, care packages and hope to those experiencing homelessness in the Valley.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur main focus is: \u2018How can we get you off the streets?\u2019\u201d Armendariz told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Thursday. \u201cWe want to get services to as many homeless individuals as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
How does heat relief campaign help unhoused people in metro Phoenix?<\/p>\n
Armendariz knows the struggle firsthand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I think about how life was before the Rescue Mission, I just remember I was pretty miserable,\u201d he said. \u201cI had been living on the streets for over five years. Living outdoors in the cold, the heat \u2014 all the elements \u2014 was pretty rough on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seven years ago, he encountered Phoenix Rescue Mission while living on the streets. Getting help from the nonprofit changed his life.<\/p>\n
Today, he oversees the nonprofit\u2019s Mesa outreach contract and collaborates with providers like Paz de Cristo and St. Vincent de Paul.<\/p>\n
Armendariz said the getting people off the streets can save their lives because of all the hazards for the unhoused, from the deadly heat<\/a> to violence and discrimination.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen people get their their faces kicked in in while they\u2019re sleeping,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cWhen I was homeless, I would hear all these stories, and so there was a lot of fear and anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n In June alone, the Code:Red Heat Relief Campaign<\/a> distributed:<\/p>\n \u201cIn the last two months \u2014 in the summer months \u2014 we\u2019ve engaged with just over 1,700 new people throughout the Valley,\u201d Armendariz said. \u201cOur team has grown, so now we have more opportunity to go out pass out that water and and try to make a difference in people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n We want to hear from you.<\/p>\n Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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