Central Arizona Shelter Services

CASS Receives $830,000 in Federal Funding to Improve Phoenix Single Adult Shelter

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:22:10 GMT

Supporting long-term solutions through meaningful infrastructure improvements

Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) is honored to receive $830,000 in Community Project Funding for Fiscal Year 2026, secured by Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, to support renovations at our 600-bed Single Adult Shelter in downtown Phoenix. This critical investment will allow CASS to improve and modernize key areas of the shelter, such as bathrooms, safety improvements, and essential areas of the shelter to better support our clients.

“At CASS we believe everyone deserves a dignified place to rest their head,” says Nathan Smith, CEO of Central Arizona Shelter Services.

CASS is a vital resource in addressing homelessness across the region. Last year, its three emergency shelters, The Haven senior shelter, Vista Colina Family Shelter, and the Downtown Single Adult Shelter, served 4,585 individuals experiencing homelessness. With 850 beds being nearly one quarter of the 3,642 emergency shelter beds available in Maricopa County.

For many people, arriving at CASS marks the beginning of rebuilding their lives.

Marcus Ross, a former CASS client, shared how the support he received helped him regain stability.

“Coming from Florida to Arizona, just getting out of prison, I had no birth certificate, no ID, no job, and no place to live. I stumbled across CASS and left upright on two feet.”

Stories like Marcus’s highlight the importance of ensuring shelters are safe, functional, and welcoming. Shelter should be a place where individuals feel safe enough to move forward. This funding will refurbish CASS’ 20 year old facility on the Key Campus using Trauma Informed Design to improve the Downtown Shelter’s lobby focusing on the security station and in-take desk. A large part of the funding will center around improving plumbing for the 600 bed facility, as the building was designed in 2005 to shelter 400 people.

We appreciate Congresswoman Ansari’s support in helping strengthen shelter services for those who need it most.

Thematic Analysis of Informal Case Management Skill Building Necessary to Navigate the Homeless Services System

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 19:19:15 GMT

Case Management Skill Building necessary to Navigate the Homeless Services System

Recently Central Arizona Shelter Services was featured in an research article published in Professional Case Management, a journal that publishes research on case management in health and human services. The article was a joint project between Richard Southee (Director of Compliance & Continuous Improvement, PhD Global Health) Johanna Jorgenson (Senior Haven Manager, MSW) and Cindi SturtzSreetharan (President’s Professor, School of Human Evolution and Social Change). The article titled Thematic Analysis of Informal Case Management Skill Building Necessary to Navigate the Homeless Services System explores soft skills used by case managers to generate success when working in homeless services. The project was done at CASS and leveraged our own case manager’s expertise to identify four areas that they found they were often leaning on when working with their clients. These four areas were (a) understanding special/complex populations, (b) informal skills, (c) system navigation and (d) system orientation.

This study was an important diversion from popular literature on the topic which focuses on hard skills like crisis de-escalation and case management planning as desirable skills in new case managers, and instead highlights soft skills that can be gained in other professional environments but lend towards success in case management nonetheless. Importantly, Dr. Southee and his peers present the argument that when hiring for new case managers, identifying people that indicate having the identified soft skills may be stronger candidates for positions than conventional requirements around prior experience may suggest. Importantly, they suggest that hard skills like those typically sought after are easier to build through training and employee onboarding than the soft skills identified in the study that are built experientially and emphasizing them in the interviewing process may provide more long-term employee success and retention.

As the human and homeless services industry continues to struggle with high turn-over rates that leave organizations wanting qualified applicants, this study sheds a light on a new set of qualifications that can be used for screening. As CASS continues to work towards becoming a stronger organization and building expertise in our community, we look forward to continuing to work on projects like this that can help make ourselves and all providers in our community better.

If you have questions about the article or are interested in learning more please contact Dr. Richard Southee at rsouthee@cassaz.org

STN: How humble outreach turned into leading Arizona’s largest shelter

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 20:02:38 GMT

After finding meaning in street outreach and global service, Nathan Smith now leads Arizona’s largest shelter system

Nathan Smith didn’t set out to lead one of Arizona’s most critical shelter organizations. In fact, his journey began with sandwiches.

“I had some pride issues,” Smith admitted. “My grandmother-in-law challenged me. She said, ‘Why do you feel the need to fly around the world to help people when there are so many in need right here?’”

At the time, Smith had recently returned from a mission trip to India, including time spent in leper colonies and orphanages, which fundamentally reshaped his perspective on poverty. “They had nothing,” he recalled, “but they smiled bigger than anyone I’ve ever met.”

That spark turned into a flame.

What started as a weekly outreach program—making food and handing it out in downtown Tempe—became a calling. “Your job was to make sandwiches. Then your job was to sit and eat with people,” he said of the early days. “That connection across economic lines was powerful.”

CASS CEO Nathan Smith on his mission and meeting people where they are: Click here to view the video.

It wasn’t long before Smith turned his volunteerism into a profession. He began working at a grassroots nonprofit, setting up emergency shelters in churches and providing street-based case management. From there, he advanced through the ranks at Phoenix Rescue Mission over 10 years, eventually becoming the Chief Program Officer. Today, he’s the CEO of Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS).

“I always said if I could continue to grow professionally, I could help more people, not just one at a time,” he explained.

At CASS, Smith oversees Arizona’s largest shelter for single adults, a 30-unit family shelter, and a newly opened 130-bed facility specifically for seniors. “Shelter isn’t the solution by itself,” he emphasized. “It’s a place where people can be safe while we work through their long-term housing solutions.”

Smith brings both strategy and humanity to the job. Raised between Phoenix and Pine Bluff, Arkansas, he credits his mother, a 45-year international flight attendant, for instilling his global outlook and sense of resilience. “She was always there,” he said. “Whether we were in Arkansas, traveling the world, or she was just trying to keep me on the straight path.”

In conversation, Smith blends humor with hope. When it comes to collaboration, he’s all business.

“I look for mission alignment,” he said of partnering with other organizations. “You don’t have to do what I do, but if we’re headed in the same direction and we do different things, we can work together.”

He highlighted the Arizona Pet Project as one example, supporting individuals experiencing homelessness who also have pets. “They do what we don’t, and together we support the whole person.”

Smith’s rallying cry for the community? Create opportunity. “We all know someone whose passions, skills, and interests could intersect with this work,” he said. “Help them find their purpose. That’s how we build the next generation of leaders.”

Arizona Housing Coalition: Silver Years & Fragile Futures

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 19:59:23 GMT

Authors: Jamie Podratz, Madeleine Lovett, Nathan Smith, Brittnie Stanton

As the U.S. population ages, new challenges face communities. Among the most heartbreaking is the growing incidence of homelessness among seniors, but many of the interventions to address homelessness today are ill-suited to them. This piece explores the unique challenges facing older adults as well as the organizations working to get them off the streets, while quantifying the need and what it will take to solve senior homelessness in Arizona.

This year’s Point in Time (PIT) Count, a nationwide single day tally of everyone experiencing homelessness (sheltered or unsheltered) found 15,259 individuals experiencing homelessness across Arizona. Of those 15,259 people, 9,734 (63.8%) of them were in Maricopa County , a 3.1% increase since 2024. Pima County saw a 5.5% increase in homelessness from year to year, counting 2,218 (14.5%) people experiencing homelessness in 2025. For the Balance of State (all other counties in Arizona), 3,307 (21.7%) were counted, a 5.4% increase since 2024.

The Conversation Around Homelessness in Arizona

One of the primary reasons for the uptick in homelessness in Maricopa County, Pima County, and the Balance of State is the expiration of increased federal investments in homeless response post-COVID. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) as well as other COVID-relief related funding streams have expired en masse over the last several months, leading to a reduction in services available to meet communities’ needs. In addition, while housing cost increases have slowed in recent months, sharp increases in housing costs over the last several years have not kept up with wage growth or fixed income adjustments, leaving many struggling to make ends meet. This can lead to housing instability and, at worst, homelessness.

Homelessness is increasing across the country… and closer to home in Arizona. There’s a growing public awareness around homelessness, too, but are the conversations informed? Here’s what we’re actually seeing in Arizona. The PIT Count tallies everyone experiencing homelessness who can be found on a single night — whether they’re in temporary shelter or living on the streets, abandoned office or industrial areas, vehicles, or other places not meant for permanent human habitation. We know it’s not a full count of those experiencing homelessness, because it’s certain that we’ve missed a few. There are some who work hard not to be found, and the state of Arizona is large, urban, and wild. While volunteers work hard to capture everyone in the PIT Count, it’s impossible. The statewide Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) tallied around 50,000 individuals who “touched the system” last year. Based on the PIT and HMIS numbers, it’s safe to assume that on any given night in Arizona, there are between 15,000 and 60,000 people experiencing homelessness. Aside from a large one-time state investment from the state legislature in 2023, these staggering numbers have not resulted in increased or sustained investment at the state level.

Mike finds permanent housing with support from CASS’ Downtown Shelter

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 16:07:33 GMT

Mike is a 63-year-old African American senior citizen who has worked with a number of different case managers during his time at CASS. Most recently assigned to one of CASS’ longtime intensive case managers, Mike was ably guided toward reconnection with supportive services. Mike’s case manager assisted him with scheduling medical appointments and submitting applications to several senior living facilities.

Unfortunately, Mike’s applications for housing were all denied due to his extensive criminal background. Undeterred, Mike and his case manager put through applications for residency at shared living space properties, but, again, each of Mike’s applications met with a denial. At this point, Mike was beginning to give up hope. Then, the opportunity arose for Mike to be referred for an Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV). Mike’s application underwent meticulous review by HUD and other supportive agencies before he was granted an EHV. With the EHV to aid him in his pursuit of housing, Mike was finally able to locate an apartment complex willing to accept him as a tenant.

Mike signed the lease for his new apartment at the end of July. Keys to his unit in hand, Mike expressed gratitude to his case manager for her assistance and proclaimed his eagerness to move in (“I cannot wait.”) and determination not to squander this opportunity to live independently (“I will not mess this up.”). Mike also thanked CASS for providing shelter and for the compassionate understanding with which staff treated his experience of homelessness and barriers to housing.

Carol heading into new career with help from CASS

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 16:07:33 GMT

Carol is a 38-year-old woman who came to CASS in March after losing her job and becoming homeless. She is originally from Paradise Valley and has lost contact with all of her family. Carol came to case management appointments expressing a strong desire to find a program through which she could complete CDL training, with the aim of beginning a new career as a commercial vehicle driver.

Carol was able to enroll in a driving training program and complete all classwork portions of the program. Now, Carol has her CDL learner permit and can start the hands-on driving portion of the program. Carol was excited upon arriving to her most recent case meeting, as she had just received a job offer in Denver. The company is offering to help Carol finish training, relocate her to Denver, and provide her with a guaranteed position upon completion of training. Currently, Carol is waiting for her entrance date into the program.

Max finds housing through CASS’ Rapid Re-Housing Program

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 16:07:33 GMT

Max is a 61-year-old disabled single adult who lives with significant hearing impairment. During his stay at CASS, Max was referred to the CASS Rapid Re-Housing program.

With no case managers on the Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) team proficient in ASL (American Sign Language), Max and his assigned RRH case manager initially struggled to communicate. To overcome this hindrance, Max and his case manager employed makeshift means of communication via writing, ranging from typing messages into Microsoft Word to marking out their discussions on a whiteboard. Max and his case manager could spend an hour in each case meeting session discoursing by way of text.

In the course of their textual dialogue, Max shared with his case manager that his preferred means of communication is to utilize an interpreter via video chat, which requires internet access. Max’s phone and tablet were only capable of picking up a weak internet connection at CASS, rendering such video calls technically infeasible to conduct seamlessly.

Given his experience with this impediment in shelter, Max expressed concern that he could completely lose the ability to communicate effectively with the outside world once housed alone in an apartment, unless he had a reliable internet connection. With the assistance of his Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) case manager, Max was able to sign a lease for and move into an apartment on the first of July. For nearly a month, Max had to make do without internet service. But on July 25th, Max and his case manager finally managed to have internet services connected to his apartment through Centurylink.

Max was offered high-speed internet at a discounted rate due to his disability status. Fast and stable internet connection in place, Max could now be assured that he would be able to communicate with others in the manner that he finds most comfortable and affirming.

THE CASS INNOVATION SERIES: Case Management

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 17:21:00 GMT

The Congressional Recognition awarded by US Congresswoman Debbie Lesko gives us not only confirmation that we're on the right path, but an invitation to take stock of the progress made over these last three years.

The post THE CASS INNOVATION SERIES: Case Management first appeared on Central Arizona Shelter Services.