PHOENIX — A Valley non-profit is on a mission to help set up veterans, working to escape homelessness, for success.
"This is a needed thing to keep these guys from the streets, make sure that they have a home -- and they deserve it," said Bill Conner, president of the Veterans Furniture Center, or VFC.
According to the most recent statistics form the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, on any given day in Arizona, there are approximately 900 veterans living on the streets.
The VFC works with the VA's HUD-VASH program to identify veterans who could benefit from their help. Veterans fill out a form and those who qualify receive an apartment's worth of furniture and appliances for free, including a TV, sofa, mattress, lights, cookware and cleaning supplies.
Conner said when the group first arrives to a home, "9 out of 10 apartments are completely empty. They may have a mattress and that's it."
He and other core members are military veterans themselves and volunteer their time at the non-profit. The group averages around six deliveries every Friday and is expected to make around 300 deliveries this year.
ABC15 tagged along on a recent delivery in Phoenix.
"I can't tell you what this means... I had absolutely nothing," said Marine Corps veteran Ron Arvey.
When we spoke with Arvey, he had just moved into his apartment the week prior. He said the items he received from the VFC alleviated a huge burden in his path forward and will allow him to focus more on himself.
All of the furniture and appliances delivered by the group are brand new. Conner said they received donations in the past, including around 600 mattresses from Living Spaces, but it still costs around $250,000 per year to operate at their current pace. VFC recently received status as an Arizona claim qualifying charitable organization for tax credits.
For more information and for details on how you can help, click here.
