Reflections from the front lines serving people experiencing homelessness, witnessing a warm start to December, and counting down to the 20th Annual Mike McQuaid I am Home Breakfast.

The almanac shows typical high temperatures in Phoenix this first week of December are in the upper 60s. What we are feeling is in the upper 80s. The summer heat wave seems to be continuing. The humidity is low, which makes for a chill in the air when the morning temp is in the 50s and the sky is dark. We bundle up for the morning and recline like lizards on concrete in the afternoons, soaking up the warmth.

Through this rather boring weather, the Key Campus continues to shelter over 900 people nightly in four spaces. And today the Keys to Change Outreach team found 105 unsheltered folks in the immediate neighborhood and 447 more in an expanded area that ventures several miles away from us.

Numbers. It’s easy to come up with numbers. We have a tremendous amount of data at our fingertips. We write grant applications with the numbers, talk to media with the numbers, and talk to ourselves with the numbers.

One number that is most difficult to track and sum is the number to answer the question, “how many people ended their homelessness?”

Even if I provide the number 1,383 found permanent housing in the last fiscal year through Keys to Change, that may or may not seem like a lot. And it is the number for our organization and does not include the permanent housing placements of the dozen additional organizations at Key Campus who assist people moving into housing.

Using 1,383 over 365 days, 3.789 (let’s round up to 4) people moved into permanent housing by Keys to Change. If one were to look for 4 people per day in the sea of 900 to 1,200 people on the Campus every day, it would be challenging to identify the 4 who are ending their homelessness.

The success is hidden. There is no fanfare. There are no moving trucks, no mass exodus. They are gathering up a backpack and tote bag, or one duffle bag of their possessions. Some people have dogs. Some have assistive devices, walkers, and wheelchairs. People are moving into apartments, travelling to loved ones. For some they are transitioning in to assisted living or permanent supportive housing.

It’s easy to see the problems related to homelessness. To spot the people on street corners, sleeping at bus stops, or building structures to shelter for the night. We observe the detritus left behind once the people have moved on.

I would love to show everyone the movement of people out of homelessness. It happens quietly, on a person by person basis. The success is shared alone or at times between a case manager and the person who was homeless and is now housed.

We do share stories and photos as time allows for staff to capture the experiences, and as people give us permission to share their words and/or images. Not everyone wants to talk about what happened, nor do they want their face published in connection with the word “homeless.” Some people have survived homelessness without friends and family knowing, and they don’t want their story shared in a way that potentially breaks their anonymity.

Once a year we celebrate our success in a public way at the Mike McQuaid I am Home Breakfast. Mike started the breakfast before there was a Campus to raise funds for the construction. He built in stories of people and success from the beginning. Next Friday, December 13, we host the 20th Breakfast and will share glimmers of achievements. We will pause from the daily routine and invite community to be with us in recognition of the positive outcomes. And, it is a fundraiser, so we are asking for donations.

There is still time to register for in person or virtual attendance. Visit: https://keystochangeaz.org/register

It’s 9 days away. At the rate of 4 homeless becoming housed per day, that’s 36 more people who will proudly move to a home. This will go unnoticed by most of us. For those 36 though it will be a milestone that creates a memory.

Please join us Friday, December 13 and be a memory maker!