In July 1994, HOM, Inc. opened its doors for business. At that time, HOM contracted with ComCare, which was the regional behavioral health authority for Maricopa County. ComCare, in partnership with the Arizona Department of Commerce, had secured their first Shelter Plus Care grant from HUD to provide housing to 300 of their consumers with serious mental illness who were homeless. We started housing people immediately, starting with 13 individuals who were living in a run-down rehab facility that was closing at the end of our first month! We quickly established relationships with a handful of apartment complexes in the community, conducted initial orientations for the new program participants, verified incomes, calculated rent, performed HQS inspections, got utilities and phones turned on and executed rental agreements. We even got a few friends to lend their hands and their trucks to help move our first clients into their new homes. We were very proud of our accomplishments, but had little time to soak it all in. Over the course of the next few years, ComCare continued its success at securing new Shelter Plus Care and Supportive Housing grants from HUD. By 1997, HOM, Inc. was providing rental assistance to over 800 More >