Banner Health community grant helps support homeless shelter for 55 and over

Central Arizona Shelter Services creates first emergency shelter for older adults in Arizona

9/10/26

At Banner Health, the commitment to community well-being extends far beyond the walls of our hospitals and clinics. As homelessness among older adults continues to rise at an alarming rate across Arizona and the nation, Banner Health and Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) saw an opportunity to turn a critical community need into a tangible solution — and the result is something truly worth celebrating. Read on to see how Medicaid dollars, thoughtfully reinvested, are restoring dignity and hope to some of our most vulnerable neighbors, and why your partnership with Banner Health is helping make it all possible. 

Older adults in the Phoenix area now have a dedicated homeless shelter with some support from Banner Health in one of the many ways the nonprofit health system impacts the community it serves. Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS), in response to the rising rate of homelessness among the aging population, has created The Haven, the first emergency shelter designed exclusively for adults 55 and over in Arizona.

“I feel like there is a big message to get through to people is how much we thank them,” said Haven resident Carol Falise. “And how much this service, this shelter, this facility and absolutely every staff member is needed so greatly in this community. I don’t know where I would be without it. I would be sitting on a street corner or in a park with an empty oxygen tank, probably hungry. With no hope. No future.”

The new CASS shelter is partly funded by a $100,000 grant from Banner Health’s Community Reinvestment Program, which operates under Banner’s Medicaid plan, Banner – University Family Care. The shelter offers private units, providing safety, dignity and stability and creating a supportive environment for residents who often have multiple challenges.

“We know what a critical role CASS plays in serving the unhoused in the Phoenix area,” said Sarah Spiekermeier, chief executive officer and executive director of Medicaid for Banner – University Family Care. “We are thrilled to partner with a well-respected group that now has a facility dedicated to one of the fastest growing segments of the population.”

Falise had been working but got sick and then her job got eliminated. She still has physical issues from a car accident, which limits her mobility. But she knew CASS was an option. “It’s kind of a day-by-day thing,” she said. “And then to pile on the homelessness, it’s exhausting, it takes just about everything, every amount of energy I have in me to get through each day.” But the organization provides case management for each resident and connections to medical care, behavioral health services and nutritious meals.

“We provide specialized housing navigation to help residents secure safe, affordable long-term housing at a stage in life when stability matters most,” said Nathan Smith, chief executive officer of CASS. “The Haven ensures unhoused older adults have a safe place to stay while working toward a permanent home of their own.”