EAST VALLEY MEN’S CENTER

2345 N. Country Club Drive, Mesa, AZ 85201 (480) 610-6722

The East Valley Men's Center( EVMC) is a transitional training and living facility for up to eighty four homeless men who make the initial commitment to get off the street and back in the economic and social mainstream.  The EVMC's goal for each resident is permanent employment at a decent wage, stable housing and increased self sufficiency skills.

Check here for important information about the EVMC’s federally mandated privacy policy.

Our EVMC Client Services Team Members:

• Help single, adult homeless men develop and implement a case plan that provides him a road map for economic and social self sufficiency
• Provide a highly structured environment that requires each resident to remain sober, save money, meet his plan objectives and act in accordance with each and every EVMC rule
• Provide opportunities for improved employment, job training, increased earning capacity and improved socialization skills
• Help each resident recognize his own social value and possible contribution to the broader community by seeking opportunities for residents to give back to those who helped them along the way
• Provide counseling, enrichment experience, and the possible connection with a faith community of his choice
• Foster a recognition among the EVMC residents that change begins with him - his acceptance of responsibility for his own conduct and his commitment to making a difference for himself

For further insight into the life of EVMC residents, watch the f-Stop Pictures "Turning Point" documentary. 

Click here to watch the video

About EVMC
Mesa Community Action Network, Inc. (“MesaCAN”) operates the East Valley Men’s Center. MesaCAN is a local, private, non-profit agency serving low and moderate-income individuals and families in eastern Maricopa County and Mesa, Arizona. The Center opened on Dec.17, 1998 and is located at 2345 N. Country Club Drive.

How did the Center originate?
A 1995 community-wide Taskforce on Homelessness identified a shelter and training facility as the number one priority in the East Valley. The report identified that any program should incorporate resident performance requirements. Thus, the East Valley Men’s Center is a “tough love” approach that combines a safe and respectful environment with expectations that residents will contribute to their recovery.

In addition, the East Valley Men’s Center practices a “good neighbor” policy throughout the community and with its surrounding businesses. As a part of every resident’s expected behaviors is a recognition that each resident represents the East Valley Men’s Center and its objectives. The program objectives include working with diverse community interests to address the neighborhood concerns resulting from homeless men occupying public places such as parks and other open areas. Thus, all of the staff and residents connected with the program try to demonstrate that homeless men can recover to be contributing members of society. Staff and residents model an approach founded on respect and dignity for each individual resident and which meets the community’s need for a response to homelessness and social costs connected with homeless men living on our streets. Everyone connected with the East Valley Men’s Center, staff and residents, recognize that they represent one another to the community and try to act accordingly.

The East Valley Men’s Center does not provide emergency services but a comprehensive set of programs and strategies for each man. The Center intends to remain responsive and innovative. Many of the residents are functionally disabled because of past substance abuse, criminal involvement or simply a long life on the streets. Helping the residents reintegrate into society is a challenging task.

What is the purpose of the East Valley Men’s Center?
The Center provides training, work assistance, counseling, socialization skills, food and shelter for single, adult homeless men. The Center either serves, or facilitates for, each individual resident in order to remove his barriers to self-sufficiency. Every resident participates in the development of his own case plan. The Centers overall objectives include helping each man find permanent housing and employment and increasing his ability to remain independent and self-sufficient in a timeframe tailored to his circumstance.