At the beginning of April, Homie Arizona launched the Homie Helps initiative and committed to contributing up to $100,000 to the Valley of the Sun United Way COVID-19 Response Fund. This fund was established to assist those impacted by COVID-19. For every home bought or sold by Arizonans through Homie, $500 was contributed to this relief fund. Homie contributions went to help Arizonans stay in their homes through rent and mortgage assistance, for those struggling to make ends meet.

“When the COVID-19 pandemic began affecting our community, we wanted to do something impactful to give back to those who needed urgent support,” said Joshua Miller, General Manager at Homie Arizona “This is a challenging time for many people facing the possibility of losing their security net, and we wanted to alleviate some of that uncertainty for our fellow Phoenicians. We are so grateful to our Homie clients, who are really the ones to thank for making this possible.”

The Impact

All funding was distributed through the Valley of the Sun United Way to organizations that assist with a range of emergency needs such as housing/rent assistance, eviction prevention, utility assistance, food insecurity, employment, and behavioral health services. Organizations benefited include:

Homeward Bound
Native American Connections
Save the Family
Chicanos Por La Casa (CPLC)
Tempe Community Action Agency
New Leaf
AZCEND
Friendly House
International Rescue Committee
Phoenix Indian Center

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the Greater Phoenix community in a number of ways. Chicanos Por La Causa is a critical organization supporting local families that works with the United Way.

“The vital role of Chicanos Por La Causa in helping people and communities is now even more pronounced than ever,” said Genaro Ruiz from Chicanos Por La Causa “Just like many families in the Valley, for the past four months every Friday the Barrios family comes to our Community Center for support. Being a large family of eleven with one on the way, and a single income household, the food pantry helps them stay afloat. We provide them with milk, cereal, bread, produce, and more”

“If it wasn’t for Chicanos Por La Causa, I would be struggling to put food on the table for our family,” said Mrs. Barrios.

Chicanos Por La Causa has also helped families with the APS bill and rental assistance, access to computers for kids who are distance learning, academic classes for high school students, training for displaced workers, meetings for support groups, parenting classes, housing and financial counseling, among many others services.

This is just one example of the support that these organizations provide to the community.

To read more about the total impact of the Valley of the Sun United Way COVID-19 Relief Fund, click here https://assest-vsuw-webite.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/2019/files/Covid-Report.pdf

Homie is more than a real estate company. The company prides itself on the customer service it provides, the money it helps homeowners and buyers save, and the support for the community through giving back.




By Claire Natale