Mesa United Way has announced the formation of the nonprofit Azura designed to offer solutions designed to address the effects of poverty.

“Over the last several years, the need for our programs have grown,” Mark Young, president and CEO, Mesa United Way and Azura, said.

“Our clients now span the Valley, and Azura will provide us with new opportunities to expand. We have plans to open two new foster care homes for youth who have aged out of foster care by the end of 2023.”

Approximately 40% of young adults become homeless within two years of leaving foster care, and people who drop out of high school are twice as likely to live in poverty, according to a United Way release.

These programs, according to the release, will be able to serve Arizonans throughout the state:

• Helen’s Hope Chest – a boutique for foster and kinship families and children to obtain clothing and necessities.
• VITA program - tax-preparation services free of change to low- and moderate-income households.
• AZURA Literacy (formerly 12 Books) – an initiative to improve literacy among Title I elementary students and provide a free mentoring reading program.
• AZURA Veterans Coalition (formerly Mesa Veterans Resource Center) – provides job training, benefits counseling, and extensive case management to those who served our country.
• Foster360 – gives housing, trauma care, and life coaching for aged-out foster youth.

“We want to collaborate with other innovative and cutting-edge organizations by providing nonprofit venture capital,” Young said.

“We also want to explore timely issues in our state like the growing number of homeless seniors, the lack of affordable housing and support groups for foster families. Basically, we want to be nimble and help whenever the community needs us most.”

As part of its “nonprofit incubator,” Azura envisions helping other nonprofits by providing services to allow them to thrive and make a difference in the community.

“From coaching to logistical support to accounting to fiscal agency, Azura is committed to empowering the next generation of nonprofits,” the release stated.

Mesa United Way will continue to run workplace campaigns with Mesa companies that want to invest in helping the community and alleviating poverty, officials said.