A mobile resource center for homeless youth opened in Surprise for the first time Thursday. The unit includes showers and other necessities, like laundry, food and counseling for homeless youth.
The city of Surprise and Dysart Unified School District partnered with Tumbleweed, a non-profit agency, to bring the unit to the West Valley city.
Tumbleweed also will be going to Glendale and Peoria.
Spokeswoman Lisa Cardinale said she’s heard of more homeless teens in the area because the West Valley was hit hard by the recession.
“There is a need and there are more homeless youth in the West Valley than there have been in the past,” Cardinale said. "Some are saying it's effects of the crisis in 2007 when parents were laid off and lost homes."
Dysart Unified School District and Surprise partnered with the agency, along with Glendale and Peoria.
Dysart spokesman Zachery Fountain said they identified at least 160 homeless youth in their district last year.
"There are resources available, but it’s just kind of the social stigma so Tumbleweed makes it to where these resources are accessible in a way that people can deal with them privately,” Fountain said.
The trailer will be in Surprise once a week this summer.
