Grand Canyon University has invested $46 million to revitalize Phoenix campus surroundings

Grand Canyon University says its invested $46 million in initiatives to provide Arizona families with important resources and tackle local crime. The university has attempted to revitalize the areas surrounding its Phoenix campus for over a decade.

When it comes to safety, $170 million has been funneled into redevelopment efforts along 27th Avenue, a street bordering the campus’s east side.

Brian Mueller, the president of GCU, said 27th Avenue has been a hub for prostitution and drug dealing for two decades.

“I would like to take it from what it was, and now take it from what it even is today, and just create a three or four mile stretch where people from all different backgrounds can really live life together," he said.

GCU also launched a service on its campus that provides free household goods. Since its inception, 196 churches and nonprofits have collaborated with GCU to disperse those goods. Mueller said 70% of the families helped through their service are in west Phoenix.

He said GCU hopes to raise upwards of $1 million from the institution's yearly gala to support their revitalization efforts.

Bridget Dowd/KJZZ

CityServe, an international nonprofit looking to provide communities with essential resources, partnered with GCU two years ago to create 88,000 feet of warehouse space on campus to collect goods for distribution to families in need.

Dave Donaldson, the co-founder and CEO of CityServe, started the organization seven years ago. Over the years, he said CityServe has collected 1.5 billion goods from companies like Amazon and Home Depot to disperse among hubs across the nation, just like the one at GCU.

"And what's happening through Grand Canyon (University), it's the only one of its kind, that I'm aware of, happening in the world," he said.

During an Arizona CityServe event, he met a single mother living in Phoenix with four kids. He said the mother told him she couldn't afford beds for her children, so the kids had no choice but to sleep on the floor.

Donaldson said 170 beds were set up for families in Phoenix during the event, including ones for that mother's children.

Pieces of furniture are just one of many types of goods the GCU hub is able to give to their partners for disbursement. The university said more than $15 million worth of goods have been distributed to more than 74,000 families.