Often the working poor and elderly living in Mesa, Arizona, are forced to choose between buying groceries and paying their utility bills. By June, it's already a blistering 111 degrees in Mesa.
Often the working poor and elderly living in Mesa, Arizona, are forced to choose between buying groceries and paying their utility bills. By June, it's already a blistering 111 degrees in Mesa.
As a result, the Paz De Cristo Community Center sees an increase in attendance every summer. "If they can eat here, or get one of our food boxes, they can use their grocery money to pay the utilities," said Arlen Westling, director of the center.
Located on the west side of a city with a population of more than 455,000, Paz De Cristo Community Center is the only organization in the region that offers a hot meal every night. About 55 percent of the evening meal guests Paz De Cristo serves are homeless. The rest are the working poor, senior citizens or struggling single-parent families. In addition to a hot meal every night, Paz De Cristo also distributes about 1,300 food boxes every month. Each food box feeds a family of four for three days.
As impressive as that is, Paz De Cristo provides more than food. "We provide all the basic things that might empower someone to make a go of it on their own," Westling said.
For example, without a form of identification, individuals can't get a job or apply for benefits. To help overcome this barrier, Paz De Cristo helps clients hunt down birth certificates. "We also fund the Arizona ID voucher program," Westling said. "In Arizona it costs $12 to get state identification. We provide a voucher for $12 that our clients can take to the department of motor vehicles."
Paz De Cristo clients wait in line to get a haircut from stylist Marilyn Smith. Smith donates her time and her talent every third Wednesday of each month to provide haircuts.
In addition to that, Paz De Cristo also serves as a mail station for the homeless, a resource for clothing, shoes, hygiene products, baby care items, bus passes for medical appointments and job interviews, showers, haircuts and gift cards for prescriptions.
However, it's the center's new jobs program that may make the biggest impact. Paz De Cristo has three computers with internet access so clients can search for jobs or email their resume to potential employers.
"When someone comes in, we start by having them fill out an application," Westling said. "We help them put together their resume and talk to them about interviewing skills."
Westling said many clients haven't worked for a long time for whatever reason. Some have been in jail. "The people we're helping are not the easiest to find jobs for," he said. "There's a lot of coaching and a lot of encouragement involved."
Over the past three months, the new jobs program has helped about 200 people search for a job. Of those, 65 are now employed. That's 65 people that may not have to rely upon Paz De Cristo services. "We feel that it makes a difference," Westling said. "It's a more long-term solution, because now they're able to support themselves."
Over the past five years, Union Pacific has donated $25,000 to the center, which relies on grants and donations to keep its doors open. "We don't get any federal government funding," Westling said.
To volunteer or donate to the Paz De Cristo Outreach Center, visit pazdecristo.org.
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