Advocacy Win: Mesa City Council Approves Purchase of the Grand Hotel

The Grand Hotel at 6733 E Main St

You may remember an Action Alert we sent out on October 10th, about the city of Mesa’s plan to purchase the Grand Hotel and convert it into an emergency shelter for the unhoused. This is part of the plan to expand the Off the Streets program, which currently houses folks by renting out rooms at the Windemere hotel. To learn more about the Off The Streets Program and its benefits to the city, click here. In October, Mayor Giles reached out the the faith community, seeking our support for the purchase and rezoning of the Grand Hotel. We, with our partners at Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest and Arizona Faith Network, responded in kind, reaching out to our networks of advocates.

On November 6th, Mesa City Council voted 4-3 in favor of the purchase of the Grand Hotel for the Off The Streets program!

The city will now move forward in purchasing the hotel, using funds from the American Rescue Plan, and will begin the conversion process in early 2024. This is such an exciting success!

Thank you so much to everyone who advocated in favor of the hotel acquisition, especially to our Mesa Residents! Community support is undoubtedly reason the council approved this plan, and we thank you for using your voice for the benefit of your neighbors in needs. This is a wonderful example of how advocacy can have direct and concrete effects in our lives, and I hope it serves as an encouragement for all of our advocacy in the future.

Join us in praying for the leaders of the Off the Streets program and for those in charge of this project. We pray also for all the construction workers, city officials, and care providers that will help convert the hotel into a shelter. We pray for their safety, wisdom, and success in their work.