PHOENIX — Hundreds of children in Arizona are finally getting a good night's rest thanks to a non-profit called Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
"I can't believe it myself sometimes. The community outpouring has been amazing,” said Joe Genovese, the AZ-Phoenix Chapter President of Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
Genovese says the mission of the organization is to make sure every child in need has a bed of their own. According to Genovese, the need for beds in Arizona has grown significantly over the past two years.
"Two years ago, we had 50 children on our waiting list,” Genovese said. “Today, we have 2,000. And those are just the families who found us.”
Genovese started the local chapter in 2019 to give children a clean, safe, and fresh place to rest their heads at night.
"We don't accept children sleeping on pallets or on a mattress that somebody pulled out of a dumpster,” Genovese said.
Since then, Genovese said over 3,500 beds have been delivered and set up for local Arizona kids. The excitement of the children receiving beds can be overwhelming, Genovese said.
"When we get into that apartment, the kids are just jumping for joy,” Genovese said. “I always ask if they know what is coming today. It's pretty powerful stuff."
Sleep in Heavenly Peace provides families with bunk beds, complete with a brand new mattress, as well as new sheets, pillows, and a new quilt or bedspread.
The organization relies heavily on donations from places like Lowe's, as well as volunteers who show up one Saturday a month to build the beds. The Arizona bed builds primarily take place in a borrowed manufacturing space near Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
To receive a bed, Genovese tells ABC15, parents in need simply have to ask.
"I mean, our application process is, ‘How many children do you have? What are their ages? What's their gender?’ so we can put the bedding together and ‘Where's your child sleeping now?" Genovese said.
According to Genovese, Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s plan when it launched in Arizona was to build 100 beds in the chapter’s first year.
“We built 500 beds that year and now we're building 1,000 to 1,200 beds a year,” Genovese said.
But with a growing waitlist for beds, Genovese said the local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace is aiming high.
"We want to build and deliver 2,000 beds a month and we think we can do it,” Genovese said. “But we need a place, we need volunteers. We need prayers. We need support. We need people to cheer for us. We can build 1,000 beds a month on one Saturday in a permanent facility. We're going to reach for the stars.”
ABC15 accompanied Genovese and volunteers as they delivered bunk beds to a Valley woman named Selena Carressa.
Carressa has five children, two of whom are too young for Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s beds. “When they're three years or older, we'll go back and provide them with beds,” Genovese said.
ABC15 was with Sleep In Heavenly Peace when Genovese knocked on her door accompanied by his team of dedicated volunteers who were ready to move fast.
"We walk in, we set up everything from the bed to the mattress, the sheets, and the pillows. It all takes less than 30 minutes,” Genovese said.
The beds, mattresses, sheets, and pillows are all free, which was a relief for Carreras, who said her children no longer need to sleep on the floor or on a shared mattress.
"You know, they have pillows, but it's like, it's not a bed, it's not comfort. It's the floor,” Carreras said of her children’s previous sleeping arrangements. “And you know, it's dirty sometimes."
Carreras says she was forced to move out of her apartment and into a homeless shelter when her rental costs skyrocketed.
"I was in the shelter for a couple months,” Carreras said. “And then I got help, you know, with my case manager. She got me this apartment."
Carreras’ caseworker then put her in touch with Genovese. As the beds were built, Carreras and her children watched with smiles spreading across their faces. "I'm excited because, you know, my kids get to have their own bunk beds.
It's just nice to know that my kids are sleeping comfortable [sic] at night,” she said.
Following the original publication of this story, Genovese shared Friday that he was grateful to see an influx of volunteers to their program.
"Dozens and dozens" have already inquired about Sleep in Heavenly Peace, with Genovese stating, "we will ultimately be able to help more kids."
To learn more about Sleep in Heavenly Peace, click here.
