Phoenix Community Development Services

Phoenix Community Development Services grew from an idea that was born in 1981 – an agency that would feed hungry people and get them information and referrals to enable them to improve their lives. Initially supported by the American Board of Catholic Missions, the early effort absorbed and managed the food pantry based at St. Patrick Catholic Church and helped establish the Peoria Anti-Hunger Co

alition. Incorporated as the South Side Office of Concern in March 1985, the agency received funding from the Heart of Illinois United Way in 1986. That funding established payeeship services for people with disabilities. Growth continued and funding for mental health services began from the Illinois Department of Human Services. In 1990, the agency offered its first permanent supportive housing. An employment program began in 1996 to compliment the growing agency’s identified gaps in its services. By 1999, talks were taking place about a future residential site for homeless or formerly homeless persons with a disability. Services grew and talking turned to planning as New Hope Apartments began its road to construction and occupancy. The South Side Office of Concern moved into New Hope Apartments in April 2008. When the YWCA Peoria was forced to close its doors in 2012, SSOC was asked to step in and take over the organization’s housing programs. In 2013, SSOC acquired a new office building to accommodate a growing staff and expanded program offerings. In 2014 Veterans Haven, an adult living center for homeless vets with a mental illness, opened. In 2016 an expansion to SSOC’s Glendale Commons permanent supportive housing increased residential units at the site from 12 to 28 and provided the area’s first housing specifically designated to serve homeless couples. In 2016, the agency also launched the first outreach program targeting the area’s homeless population. In November 2018, SSOC completed construction on Madison Avenue Apartments which provide 10 additional units of housing for homeless households in our community. In 2019, the agency rebranded and became Phoenix Community Development Services. With 174 of housing, Phoenix Community Development Services is now the largest agency dedicated to ending homelessness in central Illinois.