PHOENIX – HomeBase Youth Services, whose services and programs have helped hundreds of homeless youth turn their lives around for more than 17 years, has entered into a business management agreement with Native American Connections, Inc., which provides affordable housing and behavioral health services to more than 5,000 individuals and families each year.

Under the six-month agreement, NAC will operate and manage HomeBase programs and services including the Transitional Living Program, Independent Living Program, Street Outreach and the Dustin Center for Youth. Current HomeBase staff will continue to run the programs and services under NAC management and the HomeBase name and brand will remain intact and associated with each of its programs.

NAC President and CEO Diana Yazzie Devine has been named HomeBase Youth Services interim president and CEO.

“Given the current economic environment and the impact on financial support and contributions to HomeBase, it has become necessary for HomeBase to engage in this business relationship with NAC,” said Neil Sutton, chair of the HomeBase Board of Directors and now a member of the NAC Board of Directors. “NAC’s mission and vision run parallel to those of HomeBase in our collective goal to reach and serve homeless youth. That remains our driving principle. At the same time, NAC provides significant grant-writing and development resources which HomeBase does not have that can be leveraged for HomeBase services and programs.”

During the agreement’s six-month term, which began Jan. 1 and runs through June 30, both agencies will engage in due diligence and board-level discussions to determine whether a permanent combination of the two agencies can lead to economic, strategic and operational success.

“This relationship is the next logical step for both NAC and HomeBase because the programs and services are complementary and not overlapping,” said Yazzie Devine. “For NAC, the HomeBase services and programs help us reach a broader, more diverse community of homeless youth. For HomeBase, it offers a platform to continue operating under an umbrella of financial security and sustainability. The biggest winners in this relationship are the young people we can reach and serve.”

Yazzie Devine added that, “HomeBase brings to the table a range of services and programs that provide potential new sources of revenue of funding for both organizations.”

HomeBase programs and services will retain already-committed funding, donations and grant dollars. Additional fundraising from private donors for HomeBase services and programs also will be restricted for use by those programs.

Since 1972, NAC has grown from a small grassroots organization operating one program for Native American men in recovery from substance abuse to one which now owns and operates 15 sites throughout Central Phoenix offering a continuum of affordable housing and behavioral health services.

HomeBase, founded in 1991, has developed programs and services that provide the most effective intervention for at-risk and homeless youth through a multi-phased approach to its continuum of care.

For more information about HomeBase Youth Services, visit the Web site. For more information about Native American Connections, visit its Web site.