Central Arizona Shelter Services Inc.

Central Arizona Shelter Services Inc. (CASS), a nonprofit organization headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, operates as a federal grant recipient delivering emergency shelter, transitional housing, case management, and supportive services to homeless individuals and families across the Phoenix metropolitan area. CASS functions primarily as a sub-recipient under federal grant programs (79% of recent awards) rather than as a prime grant recipient, with the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Continuum of Care Program (CFDA 14.267) anchoring its federal footprint.

CASS's concrete service delivery centers on low-barrier, trauma-informed emergency shelter models; permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing for persons with disabilities; case management and housing stability planning for vulnerable populations including seniors, single adults, and families; and specialized facilities such as the 170-bed Senior Haven emergency shelter dedicated to seniors aged fifty-five and older. Recent prime grant awards include a $419,356 CoC Program grant from HUD (January 2026 through December 2026) and a $373,439 CoC grant (January 2025 through December 2025) for comprehensive homeless services and housing support. CASS also holds two longer-term HUD Economic Development Initiative and Community Project Funding grants awarded in February 2023 and August 2024, with ultimate completion dates extending through August 2031 and August 2032 respectively.

Sub-recipient work clusters in Arizona local government partnerships. CASS receives sub-awards from the City of Mesa, City of Peoria, and other municipal entities flowing through HUD Community Development Block Grant and local homelessness prevention programs. Representative sub-awards include $66,035 from Mesa (July 2024) for emergency shelter and case management at the Family Shelter, $105,590 from Mesa (July 2023) for two full-time case managers at the Single Adult Shelter, and $571,291 from Mesa (July 2023) to construct community facilities at the Senior Haven. CASS also received Child Care and Development Fund sub-recipient funding through the Arizona Department of Economic Security (July 2022) and CDBG-CV sub-awards from local jurisdictions in 2021–2022 for pandemic-response emergency shelter expansion and facility safety improvements.

CASS has received twenty-four total federal awards (prime and sub combined) since 2010, with combined dollars obligated of $20.3 million. Activity spiked in 2023 (seven awards) and has moderated since, with four awards in 2024, one in 2025, and two in 2026 as of the snapshot date. HUD's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development represents the primary funding stream (4 awards), with single awards from the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families completing the customer set. Only one award faces ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months, indicating stable continuation of current grant periods.