PHOENIX — It’s something you might take for granted: a set of keys and a room behind a locked door. But for Alexus and her boyfriend Angel, it’s enough.
“When you’re on the streets, there’s always that idea of 'where is she,' the security aspect like we’re not always safe,” said Angel Ortega. “So us being here even though we’re not in the same room, it’s great to know that she’s safe.”
The couple has gone through a lot in their young lives: from substance abuse to getting clean, then losing Alexus’s grandmother and having nowhere to live and sleeping on a shelter floor.
Last year, there were just under 600 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County. According to the 2023 Point in Time Homeless Count, that number is slightly up over the past few years.
“There are gaps of service for that age range,” said Artemisa Martinez, the Executive Director of PHX350.
ABC15 first went inside the halls of PHX350 a year ago.
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The Department of Housing gave the Valley of the Sun YMCA $2 million to operate the program for two years. It gives young adults a temporary place to live and job opportunities so they can earn money and move out on their own.
Martinez says there are a number of reasons more young adults are unhoused.
“They’re gaining entry-level jobs with minimum pay and the cost of renting on their own has increased and some need extra support for life skills,” she said.
She says this program is one solution.
Angel and Alexus both now not only live on YMCA property but work there as well as they save up money.
While it hasn’t been easy, they’re doing it together, which is what matters most.
The program housed about 190 young adults last year. Martinez says they are expected to exceed that this year.
