A facility is opening in north Phoenix this month with the idea of providing much-needed respite for people who have experienced some very unfortunate circumstances.
Known as the Help Us Build (HUB) Community Center, it was built by The Singletons, an Arizona nonprofit which is dedicated to helping single-parent families dealing with cancer.
Jody Boyd is executive director and founder of The Singletons. She pointed out the average age of a single parent with cancer is 35. That, she said, makes it tough for suffering families to find support groups that can truly relate to their situation.
The 3,344-square-foot building is a dream more than a decade in the making, but the road to get here was hardly a smooth one after the building was signed for in January 2020, right before the pandemic nearly derailed plans.
Boyd said they’ve seen about a 20% increase in families coming to them for help since the pandemic began, but now with the HUB finally being completed, the goal is for it to be a place of joy for the community it serves as well as the one it is a part of. It will offer rooms for families to hang out, a garden and other amenities.
The official grand opening of the HUB is Dec.10, and Boyd is hoping people will come by to check out the new center.