Where Community Comes Home: Investing in Housing for Arizona’s Older Adults
At an AllThrive 365 community, ACF and its community of donors are helping older Arizonans age with dignity, connection, and peace of mind.
On any given morning at The Village on Roeser, an AllThrive 365 affordable housing property, the community comes to life in small, familiar ways. Neighbors walk their dogs along shaded paths, residents gather under the gazebo to talk, and the air-conditioned community room fills with bingo, trivia, and birthday celebrations.
It does not look like what many people picture when they hear the words, “affordable housing”. It looks like a neighborhood. It looks like home.
For residents like Amelia Ramirez, who was walking her dog through The Village on Roeser when she met her fiancé, that sense of belonging is exactly the point. For William Harrison, who arrived more than a decade ago after a hard season in his life with no deposit and no furniture, not even a chair, it has meant something even more fundamental: a stable place to start over.
“That first three months saved me, basically. I don’t know what would have happened.”
— William Harrison, resident, AllThrive 365
Stability like that is not an accident. It is the result of a housing model built with intention by AllThrive 365, formerly the Foundation for Senior Living, and strengthened by a long partnership with the Arizona Community Foundation.
AllThrive 365 helps older Arizonans age with confidence through three connected areas of support: health, housing, and connection. Across the state, the organization creates attractive, dignified apartment communities where rent stays affordable, and neighbors become family.
“At AllThrive 365, we believe housing is healthcare,” said Tami Bohannon, who leads the organization. “Stable, affordable housing affects health outcomes. It provides safety and independence, supports a person’s health journey, and creates connection.”
“Arizona’s older adult population is growing quickly, and the number of affordable homes has not kept pace.”
The need is real, and it is growing. Every AllThrive 365 community has a waiting list, and across the state far too many older adults are still searching for a safe, affordable place to call home. Meeting that need is one of the defining opportunities of this moment, and it is one Arizona can rise together.
This is where the Arizona Community Foundation and its community of donors have made the difference. Building affordable housing is capital-intensive work, and the earliest, riskiest costs come long before the first resident ever moves in. Through ACF, donors have helped AllThrive 365 launch new housing projects from the ground up, funding the predevelopment work, architectural renderings, and permitting that carry a community across the finish line.
Because mission-driven housing is not a profit center, there is a real gap between what these communities' cost to build and operate and what residents can afford to pay. Philanthropy closes that gap. Donor support also sustains the wraparound services that turn a building into a community, from food access through partners like St. Mary’s Food Bank to resident activities and help navigating the medical system.
That early, flexible support is often what makes everything else possible. Predevelopment funding helps a project reach the point where it can attract the larger public and private financing needed to break ground, which means each philanthropic dollar helps unlock many more. It is how a promising idea becomes a finished community, and how a proven model like AllThrive 365 can grow to serve more people in more places.
“Our partnership with ACF has hands down been a lifesaver for us,” Bohannon said.
“We provide a roof over their head that is beautiful, dignified and energy efficient, but the wraparound services are becoming more and more important.”
— Tami Bohannon, AllThrive 365
That combination of a stable home and real support is what AllThrive 365 means by housing as healthcare. Rents stay affordable and predictable, and accessible, energy-efficient design keeps residents safe and comfortable. For someone managing a condition like COPD or heart failure, a healthier home can mean fewer trips to the emergency room, and affordable rent can mean more room in the budget for the things that keep them well.
“Affordable rent can mean more money for nutritious food, medication, medical equipment or a doctor’s visit.”
— Tami Bohannon, AllThrive 365
The path forward is clear, and it is hopeful. Proven models like AllThrive 365 show that the solutions already exist. The opportunity now is to scale them, build more homes, and shorten the waiting lists so more Arizonans can age with dignity, peace, safety, and independence.
“Success looks like residents finding community and having what they need to live with dignity, peace, safety and independence.”
— Tami Bohannon, AllThrive 365
At the Arizona Community Foundation, community is our middle name, and it is also our strategy. When donors invest in strategic focus areas like housing, alongside education and the environment, they invest in the people, partnerships, and places that make Arizona stronger for everyone.
To the donors who have already stepped forward, thank you. Your generosity is the reason communities like The Village on Roeser exist, and the reason neighbors like William and Amelia have a place to call home.
Learn more about the work of AllThrive 365 across Arizona at allthrive365.org.
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