A Valley city is continuing to take action and open doors for veterans who served our country.
According to the Department of Economic Security, there are more than 700 veterans who report that they do not have a permanent place to call home.
"One of the things that we know is housing is one of the things that is always a challenge for our veterans," said City of Tempe Vice Mayor Robin Arredondo-Savage back in October of 2017.
Arredondo-Savage talked to ABC15 back when Valor on Eighth was still a construction zone for the low-income housing complex for veterans.
Today, it is now open and full of families. There is even a wait list to try and get a place.
But, it was also just the start for the city of Tempe.
Just a few months after opening the complex, city officials are looking for another challenge of their own: to make housing not a challenge for Valley veterans.
This time, they need the community's help after launching a pilot program. They are looking for landlords to participate, so they can offer 10 veterans and their families subsidized housing options.
"For me, I look at it like, they are going to get the services they have already earned," Arredondo-Savage, a veteran herself, said on the new endeavor.
They have learned from Valor on Eighth, which they see as a model complex for the nation to look to.
ABC15 talked to one of the first residents of the complex, who said these next steps taken by Tempe are all ways to make veterans feel like their service was worth it.
"The self-worth, the...pride and stuff like that," said Romando "Ro" Gonzalez, who served in the Marine Corps. "Being able to say...this is the place where I live at is awesome."
Cities like Mesa and Phoenix offer similar programs at a larger scale.
Arredondo-Savage hopes to grow the program beyond the pilot.
"I hope that we're super successful when it comes to the 10 vouchers and the families that I think that we are definitely going to change their lives and that we'll be able to bring more... vouchers into the city of Tempe and just really be a shining example to other cities, not just in the state of Arizona, but really across the country," Arredondo-Savage said.
The city's website lays out some of the benefits for landlords:
- Monthly rent is paid directly through the local housing authority, and the program can meet competitive rental rates.
- Landlords set their own security deposit amounts, based on local standards.
- Third-party inspections help maintain quality.
- Tenants take part in ongoing case management, which provides a safety net for them and lower default risks.
To learn how you can participate, click here or call 480-350-8953.
