PHOENIX — For Zachary, finding a place to sleep Wednesday could mean an air mattress in the back of his pickup truck.
The 37-year-old Army veteran has been living at the YMCA’s Lincoln Family Downtown transitional housing facility for about five months after losing his job at Carvana and experiencing homelessness.
Now, he and several other residents are being forced to find a new place to live as the YMCA prepares to close the facility that's been open since the 50s.
Zachary said residents were notified in early August that the roughly 70-year-old building had outlived its practical life and would eventually be demolished.
“My reaction was… shocked. I didn’t have a warning, I didn’t have much time to prepare,” Zachary said.
Wednesday was the facility’s set move-out deadline.
The YMCA says it has worked individually with residents to help them find housing and other resources. More than 60 people have already moved out and found new housing, according to the organization.
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Of the eight residents still at the facility Wednesday, the YMCA said four had housing plans that had been accepted. Four others had not yet found a place to live.
Kirsten Grey with the Valley of the Sun YMCA said those four residents would be allowed to stay through the weekend while they continue working with case managers.
“We’ve asked them to meet with a case manager to do everything we can to help them move forward,” Grey said.
Grey said the YMCA can no longer provide residential housing in the building because of its structural condition, but the organization wants to make sure residents have access to supportive services.
“While we are unable to provide residential housing at this point due to the building structure, we do want to ensure they have the right resources and supportive services to thrive moving forward,” Grey said.
The YMCA says the timeline for demolition is still being worked out. The organization also says it remains committed to rebuilding in downtown Phoenix.
For Zachary, the immediate goal is finding a job and then securing a place to live that he can afford.
He said he has been applying for work but hasn't received many calls back.
“I’m pretty intelligent, I’m in good, decent shape, nothing should be holding me back, but I’m not getting the calls back,” he said.
Still, Zachary considers his current situation a setback rather than the end of his journey.
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