Pathways to Stability: Bridging Gaps for Families

The City Help Center: A Place of Support, Stability, and Second Chances

The City Help Center Food Bank is an incitive of The Short Creek Dream Center (SCDC), powered by The Dream Institute (TDI)—a nonprofit leading the fight against human trafficking, domestic violence, and crisis situations across the United States.

While TDI provides national support and infrastructure, The Short Creek Dream Center is dedicated to serving Colorado City, Arizona, overseeing both the City Help Center Food Bank and the region’s only long-term residential and transitional living programs.

Unlike most programs that require insurance or financial support, SCDC provides trauma-informed, wraparound support completely free of charge, ensuring that survivors receive the time, stability, and workforce training needed to rebuild their lives—without financial barriers.

Residents engage in real-world job training at the City Help Center, learning shipping/receiving, packing, customer service, and logistics, helping them regain independence while giving back to the very community supporting them.

Providing More Than Just Food: 

Stability & Job Training

The City Help Center serves a rural community where an estimated 55% of children live below the federal poverty rate. (census.gov)

These extreme financial challenges mean many families rely on the food bank for essential support, access to hygiene products, and community connections.

Rising Costs and Transportation Barriers

Like many rural areas, our job market has its challenges. With limited local opportunities, many residents travel for work to find positions that align with their skills and their families finantual needs.

With over 20% of families earning under 25k a year, the $15,653 annual cost of reliable car ownership is impossible to afford. (AAA, 2023) 

This creates a cycle of poverty, where a lack of reliable transportation means fewer job opportunities, leading to greater dependence on community resources.

Gentrification and Housing Affordability

Recent gentrification efforts have raised property values and living costs, widening the gap between housing affordability and available jobs for low-income residents. While new job opportunities are expected, they are still years away.

Despite these challenges, our community is resilient. Neighbors help neighbors, volunteers give their time, and local businesses step up to support where they can. The City Help Center is more than a place to receive help—it’s a place where people come together to serve and strengthen their community.

The 2025 AZ Gives Project: Strengthening Our City Help Center for the Future;

• More than Food- Adding a Dedicated Diaper/Hygiene Bank for adult and baby diapers, wipes, and feminine hygiene products to reduce financial strain on families.

  • Many parents must choose between groceries or hygiene essentials, and this program helps relieve that burden.

• Offer Childcare Support for volunteers so parents can help their community while knowing their kids are safe.

  • Some of our best volunteers are parents, but without childcare, they can’t serve. This solution frees them to give back and learn.

• Improve Safety & Efficiency by upgrading storage, shelving, and workstations, making volunteering safer, faster, and more effective.

  • This includes providing shaded relief with vendor-style tents, protecting volunteers from dangerous heat and extreme weather in our high desert climate.

• Install an electronic billboard near the food bank, ensuring that families, job seekers, and volunteers always have access to critical resources.

  • This billboard will be placed where families wait in line for food services, providing real-time updates on food distributions, job training, and emergency resources.
  • It will also allow local businesses and organizations to share opportunities, replacing unreliable and cluttered social media pages.

Why This Matters & How You Can Help

Every week, volunteers— many of them parents themselves—work tirelessly to serve hundreds of families. Some of our best volunteers are former food bank recipients, now giving back because someone once helped them.

For years, these volunteers have given their time, energy, and hearts to make sure no one in our community goes hungry. To continue meeting these growing needs, we must invest in the future of our food bank.

This isn’t just about food—it’s about building a sustainable foundation where families, volunteers, and neighbors can work together and thrive.

Give Today or Join Us on April 1st for AZ Gives Day

Early giving has already begun! If you’re ready to make an impact, you don’t have to wait—donations are already being accepted!

On April 1st, we'll be kicking off the fundraiser officially and will keep going until we reach our goal of raising the $20,000 needed to make these improvements possible for our beloved members in Short Creek! 

Thank you to those who choose to participate and have taken the time to extend compassion toward this mission!