Avondale Opens Family Bridge Homes, Offering Transitional Housing to Homeless Families

AVONDALE, Ariz. — The city of Avondale recently opened the doors to Family Bridge Homes, a new transitional housing development designed to serve families experiencing homelessness in the community.

The project, a $3 million collaborative effort between the City of Avondale, Maricopa County, and several community partners, includes six two-bedroom homes. Each unit comes with a private bathroom, full kitchen, and washer and dryer. According to Homeless Services Manager Brian Planty, the apartments are fully furnished and designed to feel like market-rate apartments, capable of housing a family of up to five people.

A Step Toward Permanency

Family Bridge Homes is intended to serve as transitional housing while residents save money, build stability, and work toward more permanent arrangements. Beyond shelter, residents receive financial counseling and job skills development.

"The hope is that families and the children in those families, this is their only experience of homelessness," Planty said. "That we build resiliency in those families and in the kids so that they don't ever have to access the homeless services system again."

Because the housing community is located near the Avondale Resource Center, residents will have access to a range of additional programs and services.

"Those families will have access to everything that occurs in the resource center," Planty said. "There is programming for youth, zero to five years old, there are opportunities for parents to engage in parenting classes and we have other social support systems here to access benefits."

A Long-Standing Effort

The roots of Family Bridge Homes date back to 2021, when Avondale began expanding services specifically for families experiencing homelessness. Around the same time, city officials started considering a bridge-housing development near the Resource Center.

Planty noted that limited access to emergency shelter options across the West Valley has made it difficult for families to stay close to their schools, jobs, and support systems. In 2024, the city worked with a third-party consultant to develop a strategic plan to address homelessness. The new housing development is one of the city's investments toward that goal.

Funding and Management

Maricopa County contributed approximately $1.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to the project. A New Leaf, a community services nonprofit, will manage day-to-day operations and programming with support from the city.

As part of the effort to keep families stable after they leave, A New Leaf follows up with residents six months after they move out and pursue permanent housing. Planty explained that individuals who have experienced homelessness once are more likely to experience it again, including the children in their families.

"The earlier we can stop that cycle and the better support we can give — we're really doing work well into the future with that strategy," Planty said. "There is hope, there are a lot of people that are ready to help and we want to see families thrive and remain connected to the community."