A long-time Phoenix family shelter is getting a serious upgrade. On Thursday, nonprofit A New Leaf unveiled Thunderbird Apartments, a rebranded campus that will swap short-term cots for longer-term homes and on-site services near 23rd Avenue and Colter Street. Residents, donors and staff gathered as leaders laid out a simple pitch: stability over crisis.
Organizers say $1.8 million in renovations will turn the property into 80 two-bedroom apartments, enough space for roughly 260 people, along with an on-site child care program, according to Arizona’s Family. A New Leaf expects construction to start next month and wrap up within a year. Local donors have already covered most of the costs, but leaders say about $500,000 still needs to be raised to finish the job.
Laura Bode, A New Leaf’s chief philanthropy officer, said the plan is not just about lowering rent, it is about surrounding families with support so they do not end up back in the shelter system. She told Arizona’s Family that “support services are really critical” for residents facing health problems or the strain of single parenthood.
Why Phoenix Needs More Family Housing
Thunderbird Apartments is arriving at a rough moment for renters. Maricopa County has logged record eviction filings in recent years, with more than 87,000 cases in 2024, a surge that local courts and service providers say is stretching capacity, as reported by KJZZ. The region’s most recent Point In Time count also showed a modest rise in homelessness, with 9,734 people counted in the 2025 survey, according to the Maricopa Association of Governments. The numbers add pressure to already packed family shelters and a tight supply of affordable units.
Nonprofit Pivot And A Local Blueprint
A New Leaf operates shelter, child care and housing programs across the Valley and says it is shifting its approach as funding for temporary shelter drops, according to its website, A New Leaf. The nonprofit emphasizes integrated case management and wraparound services as a way to keep families housed, not just briefly sheltered…