For decades, APS and its employees have been serving Arizona communities with the commitment and understanding that their customers, community partners and nonprofit leaders are also their neighbors, family members and friends.

Every year, APS partners with organizations throughout the state, including with Valley of the Sun United Way, to support Arizona’s economic growth and prosperity through education and employment, small business and entrepreneurship, and arts and culture, and also to support the people of our community and our environment by supporting partners who deliver services for basic human needs and environmental sustainability to protect Arizona’s quality of life for future generations.

With more than 83,000 hours volunteered by APS employees, the collective power and impact is widely unsurpassed. And in addition to giving the most valuable resource they have—their time—APS employees also make personal contributions through the company’s United Way Employee Giving Campaign.

APS is also a strong supporter of Valley of the Sun United Way’s Loaned Executive Program, which provides an opportunity for companies to offer employees a unique learning experience while positively impacting the community.

When Valley of the Sun United Way launched its community-led and community-driven plan for Mighty Change by 2026 (MC2026), APS was one of the first partners asking how they can help make a difference in the lives of people throughout our community. With the support of APS, here is what United Way accomplished in year one:

• 14,220 individuals obtained employment or increased their income due to access of resources supported by United Way
• 140,820 frozen, restaurant-quality meals were delivered to older adults in the Northwest Valley, removing barriers to cost of food and transportation
• 2,529 individuals enrolled in medical/mental health care
• 16,779 rental and utility assists, as a way to keep families housed when unexpected costs or loss of employment occur
• 3,083 families moved into stable housing
• 14,860 students received additional literacy tutoring and academic assistance

As a member of Valley of the Sun United Way’s MC2026 Coalitions and Action Teams, which are comprised of hundreds of corporate, community, education and nonprofit partners that collaboratively work together to support the key impact areas of Health, Housing and Homelessness, Education and Workforce Development, APS is front and center helping to do what is right for the people and prosperity of our state.

This past spring and summer, our community was met with a highly publicized and far-reaching housing and homelessness crisis. In alignment with the MC2026 Housing and Homelessness goals and strategies, APS was there to offer support and resources targeting the prevention of homelessness, the transition to shelter for those experiencing homelessness, all with the end goal of transitioning individuals and families from shelter to permanent, supportive housing solutions.

APS’s focus on the housing and homelessness crisis included supporting the Arizona Community Foundation’s Affordable Housing Fund to develop projects with innovative solutions that address the need for affordable housing, while also assisting the Technical Assistance Partnership’s Mobile Home Park Emergency Relief Fund to help families across the Valley who are facing immediate eviction due to the sale and reuse of mobile home parks.

The summer heat is also an issue we face as a community every year, and for those living unhoused, it’s not only unbearable, it’s deadly. APS partners with nonprofits and other organizations to support heat relief efforts as part of its multi-prong approach. This includes efforts with Valley of the Sun United Way partners including:

• The Salvation Army with cooling and hydration stations;
• Solari, Inc. and Lyft to provide free rides to the nearest cooling station;
• The City of Phoenix with heat relief outreach events;
• The Society of St. Vincent de Paul to support emergency shelter and eviction protection programs; as well as
• The new Washington Respite Center that was partially funded by Valley of the Sun United Way and operated in partnership with the City of Phoenix and St. Vincent de Paul.

To learn more or to partner with Valley of the Sun United Way’s five-year plan for Mighty Change, visit www.vsuw.org/MightyChange. And for more about how APS is impacting and continuing to meet the needs of Arizona communities, please visit www.aps.com/community.

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