A New Leaf

09/05/2026

09/04/2026

No family should ever have to sleep in a car that reaches 125 degrees. But for seven months, that was the reality for Candice and her family as they experienced homelessness in the Valley. Despite working two jobs, housing remained out of reach, and Arizona’s extreme heat made an already difficult situation dangerous. Her 8-year-old son was even hospitalized with signs of heat exhaustion.

Heat makes every challenge of homelessness more dangerous. When temperatures climb above 110 degrees, people deserve more options than choosing between a scorching car, the street, or an overcrowded shelter system. Families need access to cooling centers, emergency shelter, temporary respite, and ultimately, housing they can afford.

We are so glad to see Candice and her family finally finding housing after months of instability and homelessness. We congratulate her on reaching this long-awaited moment and wish her family stability and safety in their new home. ❤️

Every summer, A New Leaf sees the urgent need for heat relief firsthand. Our cooling centers provide people experiencing homelessness and others in need with a safe place to escape dangerous temperatures, cool down, and connect with resources.

No one should be left without a safe place to go when Arizona heat becomes life-threatening.

Arizona’s intense heat is showing no mercy to homeless people living in their cars. In some cases, entire families cannot find housing, leaving them with no alternative.

09/04/2026

After retiring from a successful career in the airline industry, Pat wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next. A deeply faithful woman, Pat believed that serving her community was the best way that she could spend her time. She resolved to dedicate herself to her community, doing everything she could to help local charities.

“I’m retired, so I can’t write big checks every year for organizations like A New Leaf. But I do have a lot of time, and a lot of skills that I know could be helpful! So I give my time, every week, to help people served by A New Leaf.”

For over a year now, Pat has taken on a leadership role in A New Leaf’s donation center, processing hundreds of donations of food, furniture, and money. Thanks to her dedicated support, thousands of families served in A New Leaf’s shelters across the Valley have been provided with food, clothing, and other essential goods.

“Being on the front lines of your community, helping people who are truly in crisis, it’s incredibly rewarding. You can’t serve food in a shelter, or give help to a survivor of abuse, and not see how absolutely necessary these services are. I stay here as a volunteer because I see my impact every day, changing the lives of real people.”

Pat knows that organizations like A New Leaf are at their best when they have volunteer support in the community. She has learned that volunteering is how connections are made between people, and how communities are able to come together.

“By coming in every week and working with the staff at A New Leaf, I’ve gained a whole new family here. I feel at home here. I feel welcome. That’s the best part about volunteering here, is growing my relationships with other people.

I do want people to know, you don’t have to volunteer every day, or even every week. All you have to do is take some time and give back, when you are able to. That’s the beautiful thing about volunteering, it helps so much and you can fit it into your life wherever you have an opening.”

09/03/2026

09/03/2026

Today, we are proud to celebrate Kathy DiNolfi, A New Leaf’s Chief Program Officer, on 30 years of dedicated service, hundreds of thousands of lives changed, and an extraordinary legacy of leadership.

Throughout her career, Kathy has helped shape and strengthen critical services for people experiencing domestic violence, homelessness, housing instability, and other life-changing crises. Her leadership has helped A New Leaf grow its impact across the Valley while improving the systems of care that families and individuals rely on throughout Arizona.

Behind every program strengthened, every partnership built, and every new service launched are real people whose lives are safer and more stable because of Kathy’s remarkable work.

Three decades of service is an incredible milestone. Kathy, thank you for everything you have given to A New Leaf, to the Valley, and to Arizona. Your work has created a lasting impact that will continue for generations.

Please join us in congratulating Kathy on 30 remarkable years with A New Leaf! 💚

09/02/2026

Extreme heat is not just uncomfortable in Arizona. For people living on the streets, it can be deadly.

A New Leaf is proud to serve as a Heat Relief Network site in Maricopa County, providing a safe place for neighbors in crisis to escape dangerous temperatures. But as this 12News story on our work highlights, county funding that helps sustain this critical network is drying up.

This is another example of an essential lifeline for people in crisis being put at risk when it is needed most. Every summer, people die on our streets from extreme heat. Cooling centers, respite sites, shelter, water, and outreach are not optional services during an Arizona summer — they save lives.

Our community has built a network of nonprofits and partners working every day to keep people safe. We cannot allow that safety net to disappear.

We must do better. No one should lose their life simply because they had nowhere safe to escape the heat.

09/01/2026

Phoenix families facing eviction can now receive assistance up to two months of past-due rent, helping them to remain safely housed when an unexpected expense or loss of income puts them at risk.

This important new pilot program is a meaningful step in the right direction. Preventing an eviction before it becomes homelessness can spare families enormous disruption and help preserve the stability they have worked hard to build.

A New Leaf sees the importance of this work every day. Through MesaCAN, eligible Mesa residents can access rental and utility assistance when financial hardship puts their housing at risk.

We are encouraged to see more investment in eviction prevention and hope this pilot proves successful, paving the way for even more resources that help families remain safely housed. Keeping people housed strengthens families and our entire community. 🏠

Maricopa County has partnered with the City of Phoenix to offer relief to residents at risk of being evicted.

09/01/2026

Thank you to BD Medical Products in Tempe for hosting a Back-to-School Drive for students living in A New Leaf’s shelters and affordable housing communities.

For families facing homelessness, housing instability, or domestic violence, school can provide an important sense of routine and normalcy. These donations help children walk into the classroom ready to learn.

We are grateful to the BD team for supporting local families and helping make the start of the school year a little brighter. 💚

08/31/2026

James has been on disability and in chronic pain for nearly 5 years now. His long career in construction and large machinery had taken a greater toll on his body than he ever thought it would, and although he had planned to retire, the costs of his medical care made that impossible.

“I spent all my money on trying to get better, and now I haven’t even been able to see a doctor in three years. I can’t even pay for prescriptions.”

Despite this, James had managed to keep a roof over his head and food on the table. However, with rapidly rising rents and a fixed income, that changed very quickly. When James went to renew his lease, it had inflated from $800 a month to $1,200 a month.

“I may as well have been kicked out, I could never afford that. I had lived there for years, and now all of a sudden I had to leave. It just felt wrong.”

James stayed with friends, sleeping on couches and floors, while he looked for a new place. But after a few weeks, he had nowhere else to go and was facing homelessness.

“It was really hard on me. When you don't have a home, you start to feel like you don't have a future - and that is very much how I felt.”

Knowing he couldn't sleep on the streets due to his medical conditions, James started calling shelters around the Phoenix area to see if he could find a place to stay while he tried to find a long term home. Eventually, he found A New Leaf’s East Valley Men’s Center.

“It was a huge blessing. I wish I didn't need help like this, but what else is an old guy like me supposed to do? This place saved me.”

Now James is working with his caseworker to make plans for finding more affordable housing when he leaves. He is also working on his budgeting skills, and seeking higher paying work that can accommodate his health conditions.

“I feel hopeful for the first time in a long time. We’ll see what happens for me in time, but right now it seems like I’ll be alright. I’m just thankful for the help. ”

08/28/2026

When Phoenix temperatures become life-threatening and shelter beds are full, people experiencing homelessness can be left with nowhere safe to go. And St Vincent de Paul isn't the only place reaching capacity.

St. Vincent de Paul’s overnight heat relief shelter is filling all 170 of its cots as dangerous heat continues across the Valley, while also feeding more than 1,000 people each day.

For organizations serving people experiencing homelessness, this summer surge is nothing new. A New Leaf sees shelter needs rise every year as extreme heat makes an already difficult situation even more dangerous.

Across the Valley, nonprofits are working every day to provide emergency shelter, cooling centers, day respite spaces, meals, water, and other critical support. These services save lives, but demand continues to stretch available capacity.

No one should have to remain outside in dangerous heat because they cannot find an open bed or a safe place to cool down. A New Leaf is proud to be part of the network responding to this need through emergency shelter, a cooling center, and supportive services, while also helping people move toward stable housing.

Arizona’s heat leaves little room for delay. Keeping people safe today and creating more pathways out of homelessness must remain a community priority. https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/overnight-shelter-reaches-capacity-as-dangerous-heat-grips-phoenix-st-vincent-de-paul/75-c47e4bb2-b28b-4043-b874-35eba7e936e0