Mesa program to help individuals facing homelessness obtain a college education

A new joint effort focuses on providing Mesa Community Court participants who are facing homelessness with personalized support to earn Mesa Community College degrees and certificates that can help create a path to skilled work and self-reliance.

MCC’s Office of Outreach and Recruitment launched a new, dedicated website tailored for community court participants — https://www.mesacc.edu/students/recruitment/mesa-community-court-mesa-community-college. The site includes a streamlined form for exploring various resources and educational opportunities. MCC will work with community court navigators to provide personalized guidance for participants including the enrollment process and help secure funding for their education, according to a release.

“In Community Court, we see people not for who they are today, but instead we see people for who they can become,” Mesa Community Court Magistrate Umi Novell said in the release. “As a first-generation college graduate and someone who faced housing and food insecurities, I understand firsthand how daunting and complex applications for college and FAFSA can be for new students. Our partnership with Mesa Community College provides Community Court participants a direct pathway to earning a college certificate or degree.”

Mesa Community Court is a specialty court designed to address the root causes of homelessness, including substance abuse and unmet physical and mental health needs. By offering comprehensive social services, such as shelter, health care and substance-abuse treatment referrals, help obtaining IDs and benefits, and employment and educational support, the community court aims to stop the criminality and legal troubles leading to or resulting from homelessness, the release states.

“In my sobriety I’ve been able to put together such a fulfilling life and I attribute that to all the people that have led the way and helped me help myself,” said Natalie, a 22-year-old recent community court graduate. “I work in treatment now with a local provider and get to see daily reminders of the type of person I used to be. I’m not ashamed of my past and don’t wish to forget it because I use it all as fuel to help those who are stuck in the cycle of addiction.”