The only thing the same for the 1,724 people in our purview is that they do not have a safe, permanent, affordable place to live.
Reflections from the Front Lines Blog
by Amy Schwabenlender, CEO, Keys to Change
In this blog, Amy shares her personal thoughts on serving people experiencing homelessness and living up to the legacy of her good friend and mentor, Mike McQuaid.
Floating on a Raft
We have time to start moving back to strategy rather than operating in crisis mode. There are bright spots and success stories every day.
I Write as Myself
I write as myself. It allows me to release ideas, words, thoughts, commentary, knowledge, and experience from my brain into this communal space.
11% over the Last 12 Months
The way we treat our clients and our employees is a reflection of our organization’s values. And we hope it reflects our funders’ values.
Looking Ahead
When I catch myself looking in the rearview mirror for what feels like too long. I say “pay attention to what’s in front of you.”
World Gone Crazy
We lack leadership at all levels of government to redirect and prioritize policy and resources to make eliminating homelessness a reality.
Choices and Diagnoses
Everyone deserves a healthy life, and that means having a home; even if they made some bad choices along the way.
Functional Zero
We must move our frame of thinking and acting from managing homelessness to “ending” it.
Unnatural Disaster
Natural disasters are often what lead to a crisis response. This is the most unnatural of disasters. Is that why it isn’t urgent?
Sheer Determination
What are you doing and how are you going to get through the day? Well today, the answer to “how” was “sheer determination.”
Silence is Critical
The silence. In meditation it’s the gap, where there is no thought. How we spend our time being in our human experience. That’s powerful.
Capable of Learning
Every legislator should spend time doing outreach to people on the streets to really connect with and understand unsheltered homelessness.
About Keys to Change and Key Campus
Keys to Change uses the power of collaboration to create solutions to end homelessness across Maricopa County. As the owner/operator of Key Campus in downtown Phoenix, Keys to Change facilitates coordination among 13 independent nonprofit and governmental agencies offering a holistic range of services to individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Serving over 1,000 people every day, Key Campus services include reunification with family and friends; mental, physical and dental healthcare; shelter; mail services; employment; meals; legal services; housing match; animal care, case management and more. Keys to Change is a compassionate connector, strategic partner, and relentless advocate, leveraging corporate, individual, and public funding to address systemic barriers while providing for the immediate and emerging needs of the local unhoused community. Learn more at www.keystochangeaz.org.