Phoenix (March 14, 2016) Every night 600 to 800 youth are sleeping on the street in the Valley often victims of physical, mental and sexual abuse.  Tumbleweed Youth Development Center exists to give these youth a chance to find a way out of this cycle of despair and hope for a better life.

Who are they and where do they come from?  They come from all over the Valley and from every neighborhood. They are youngsters who have been in foster care for years and at age 18 choose to leave and go it alone.    They are youth who have suffered from physical or mental abuse or were victims of sex trafficking and are running away from that life to something else.  They often leave with no plan in mind. Sometimes they stay at a friend’s home for a while, sleeping on their sofa, until they are not welcome anymore. They wander the streets with other homeless young people and try to survive.

Our Tumbleweed Street Outreach Team goes out to the areas where these youth gather and offer them resources. They offer them food, hygiene packets, shoes and clothing and invite them to our permanent resource centers either in Phoenix or Tempe.We also have a Mobile Resource Vehicle that travels to other Valley cities seeking out homeless youth with the offer of food, a hot shower and laundry facilities so they can get clean.

Our case managers talk to the youth and offer them services that can lead to housing, an opportunity to get their high school diploma at our learning center and help apply for a job.  Tumbleweed helps youth 25 and under find a path out of a  life of loneliness and hopelessness to help them grow and thrive.

Thanks to the incredible Tumbleweed supporters who gave $1,143 dollars to help homeless youth last year.  We could not have done it  without you!   Your caring means that these youth will have a chance to change their life and have hope for a better future. It is through your generosity that lives can change.  Tumbleweed has set a goal of $2,500 dollars for this campaign. Please join our effort to help make a difference in the lives of  these youth  by taking part in Arizona Gives Day.  This is the day when people all over Arizona go online to make donations to nonprofits they care about. To donate click on Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development.  Thank  you for helping us reach our goal!

Be sure to check out our Facebook and Twitter feeds on the following days to receive updates and reminders about Arizona Gives Day.