The Fiesta Sports Foundation partnered with Salt River Project (SRP) to provide a sport court and playground to Family Promise’s new Glendale facility, Legacy Village.
“We are anticipating graduating from this site 26 families a year,” said Family Promise CEO Ted Taylor. “It’s really community based. That’s why we built the courtyard. That’s why we have the play area. They’re just going to feel so good.”
This new amenity comes on the back of Family Promise’s first housing development, strategically placed in the highest eviction zip code in Arizona.
Conceptualized in 2023, the playground and sport court are 1,725 square feet, and have one adjustable basketball hoop. In the heart of the area are six housing units; the playground and court sit behind the living areas. With families moving in near mid-June, all the partners are excited for the new tenants to enjoy the community aspect of Legacy Village.
“While it has yet to be played on, the life that is ahead for this play space and sport court, we know is going to be a strong one,” said Kristina Chumpol, Fiesta Sports Foundation chief impact officer and chief of staff. “As these families are coming in and navigating probably difficult chapters of their lives, we hope that the play space and the sport court offer a little bit of joy and allow their kids to just be kids, and allow them to focus on the things that they need, and the goals they need in order to continue to get it back on track.”
“Family Promise has been a partner of SRP’s for a long time,” added Anne Rickard, director of community partnerships at SRP. “They have been a recipient of our corporate contributions. Every single year, they apply for funding, along with over 300 nonprofits across the Valley. We have been supporting their programming and facilities to help not just end homelessness but provide shelter to those who are experiencing it.”
Family Promise is an emergency shelter for families across the Valley. Offering six total sites, the company’s aim is to provide families a way to get back into society by offering a place to stay. Taylor said that the development was originally slated to be in Mesa, but after a meeting with Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers, his mind was changed instantly.
“(Weiers) said, ‘You’re not going to Mesa,’” Taylor said. “‘You’re coming to Glendale first,’ because Glendale had no family shelter, and yet the density of families who are experiencing homelessness in this area was higher than the East Valley.
“We have an emergency shelter a mile and a half from here because of that, because of Mayor Weiers. So, he deserves a lot of credit for forcing that, because it was important to him that we take care of families, and we are glad we are here. We remain the only family shelter here in Glendale or the West Valley.”
The area surrounding Legacy Village, located off 59th Avenue, is reported as the highest eviction rate zip code — 85031 — in the state. Taylor said that numerous members of the community are “the poorest of the poor,” and that often these people cannot qualify for housing.
“We felt like they needed a pathway to be able to get into permanent housing,” he said. “Housing is health for families. So, by building it ourselves, we have control over who gets to come in, whether they’ve got credit problems or criminal histories. We can work with those families. We know how to work with them.
“We’ve been doing this for 25 years in the Valley. We know the success rate graduating out of this facility, based on our model, 85% of these families will graduate into permanent housing.”
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