TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — 36-year-old Eric Johnson starts his day with a stop at the Primavera Foundation Resource Center.
"I come here for services to get off the streets. The streets can be bad," said Johnson.
Johnson has struggled to find housing, but staff at the center are helping him get back on his feet.
"I come to get my mail here. I'm also trying to get my ID. I want to go to university to get a bachelor's in criminal justice," said Johnson.
Primavera Foundation provides a variety of services to people experiencing homelessness. Since opening this month, their new center has served up to 150 people each day.
"We were in another site that was really small and so there wasn't a lot of space to come and congregate. Having a space where people can come and socialize has been really cool to watch," said Primavera Foundation Program Manager, Emma Hockenberg.
At 10,000 square feet, the new center is more than double the size of the one that Primavera worked out of before. Hockenberg said the center will serve as a "one stop shop" for people in need.
"People can come in for anything from hygiene products to help finding housing, food boxes, helps with IDs, birth certificates and case management. We also provide a mail service," said Hockenberg.
The mail service has made all the difference for 32-year-old Ismel Hamadou. It has helped in his search for a job and introduced him to a supportive community.
"It's really helpful for people who are homeless or going through a change that they are not able to manage on their own. It's really beneficial," said Hamadou.
The Primavera Foundation is still raising money to cover the cost of the new resource center. For more information on how to help, click here.
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