Arizona’s largest mass homeless shelter has a new CEO. The nonprofit’s new leader shared about his vision and plans to finally open a shelter for people ages 55 and older.
Nathan Smith is the CEO at Central Arizona Shelter Services, or CASS. For Smith, the priority is figuring out the gaps, developing new workforce partnerships and supporting projects like their new behavioral health program for those with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders.
Smith also has another big project on the horizon: a senior hotel that was supposed to open two years ago.
"There were things missed that got discovered along the way," he explains. "There were completely rotted valves that I've seen pictures of from the very outset of the project that we didn't discover until the project was up and running."
And he says that caused a lot of delays.
"It caused a substantial amount of delays. It turned out to be a very different project altogether," Smith said.
The good news, Smith said, is that construction is almost done and folks could start moving in by the end of the year.
-
Tom Wainwright is media editor for the Economist and, in a recent article, he explores the ways in which technology is transforming old age — for the worse and, maybe surprisingly, for the better. -
Two people were found dead following a first-alarm fire at a senior living community in Peoria. Several West Valley fire crews responded to the blaze at Olive Ridge on Monday night. -
The oldest members of the baby boomers, those adults born between 1946 and 1964, are turning 80 this year. So, is our state ready for this next wave? -
Arizona’s attorney general resolved a lawsuit against a 10-bed assisted-living home in Scottsdale that failed to protect an elderly resident. -
After former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl announced that he has been diagnosed with dementia, advocates are praising his openness and calling for more action and awareness at the state level.
