ASU grad working to help Arizona homeless families
PHOENIX - The homeless situation is making headlines across the U.S., and in the Phoenix area, government agencies, as well as local nonprofits, are trying to help.
In addition, there are plenty of smaller groups and individuals working to make a difference on their own.
"We were homeless," said Steve Remillard. "Not on the street, but we didn’t have anywhere to go. Every day was a hassle, just coming up with a place to stay.
Steve, along with Jade Donovan, also have two young children to think about, and just when they ran out of options and cashed in all their favors, Austin Davis with AZ Hugs stepped in.
"We may not have all the answers for the resources, but I’m human, you’re human. I'm a neighbor, your're a neighbor, and let’s just take care of each other," said Davis.
Davis, who runs AZ Hugs, recently graduated from Arizona State University. AZ Hugs works to fill gaps that are scattered throughout the system.
"There's a month-to-month waitlist for all major family shelters, and that’s leaving a lot of families sitting in cars in hotels every night, or just on the streets," said Davis.
The group has worked to get families stay in small trailers. While the trailers are not luxurious, it is, nonetheless, a roof over the heads of families in need.
Besides the trailer, Davis also helped Steve and Jade with the deposit on their new apartment.
"We're very, very happy, and the stress level is gone way down," said Jade.
"Everything is so manageable," said Steve. "Know what you’ve got, then there’s not anything that you can’t do."
Davis makes all this happen with hard work and donations, and asking lots of favors.
AZ Hugs