Council approves IGA amendment; city reallocates IHELP funds to New Leaf and extends spending deadline, expands heat-relief programs

The Avondale City Council on May 19 approved a second amendment to the city’s intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Maricopa County to reallocate remaining funds tied to the Lutheran Social Services IHELP (interfaith shelter) program to New Leaf and extend the deadline to expend those funds to Dec. 30, 2025.

The amendment follows Lutheran Social Services’ April decision to discontinue the IHELP program, which provided interim shelter in Avondale. Chris Lopez, Director of Family and Neighborhood Services, told the council that their department and partner SONAR connected at least 12 people to regional shelters after the announcement and that four remaining participants were temporarily sheltered while church partners worked to sustain the local option.

Lopez said the churches ultimately paused operations in May and the city sought another provider to use the residual funding. "We work closely with New Leaf," Lopez said, explaining New Leaf will provide family stability services, case management and supports to help families remain housed. Councilmember Salorio moved approval; Vice Mayor Nielsen seconded. The motion passed.

The council also received a status update on multiple heat-relief resources the city is operating this summer, including a cooling center at the Avondale Resource Center, hydration stations at both libraries, and an expanded schedule to cover weekends and holidays. Lopez described a portable air-conditioner loan program used last year that provided 13 units during the summer and said the city will offer it again this season for qualifying residents while they await home repairs or participation in home-repair programs.

Additional supports reviewed included the Community Action Program for rent and utility assistance, a small flexible "crisis assistance" fund for urgent needs, and the police department’s Beat the Heat hotline — a coordination line that can dispatch services to residents in need. Lopez said Avondale Baptist Church is joining as a heat-relief site and the city is working to list that site on the regional MAG (Maricopa Association of Governments) map so residents can find it.

Council members thanked staff for the rapid coordination after IHELP’s closure and for the expanded heat-relief planning. Councilmember Condie asked whether the churches would be included on the MAG map; Lopez replied his homeless services manager was onboarding the church to do so. Vice Mayor Nielsen asked about the number of people placed from IHELP; Lopez said the city helped place the twelve initially connected and had sheltered the remaining four through its regional network.

The amendment and heat-relief measures do not change the city’s other homelessness or cooling programs, Lopez said; they reassign leftover IHELP funding to New Leaf and extend the spending timeline so the funds can be used for ongoing family stability work. The council voted to approve the amendment and related administrative actions.

Council action: approval of a second amendment to the IGA with Maricopa County to reallocate residual IHELP funds to New Leaf and extend the expenditure deadline to Dec. 30, 2025.