Founded with one single-family home in 1990, Homeward Bound soon learned that housing alone could not solve family homelessness. Homeward Bound began offering case management, financial coaching, and employment help to prepare families to transition into stable housing. In 2000, Thunderbirds Family Village opened, providing wrap-around services to the entire family. In 2021, Homeward Bound implemented a model shift to become a housing-first program with low barrier to entry through a hybrid campus of bridge shelter and transitional housing for families. Homeward Bound also expanded to add a Homelessness Prevention program in response to community needs.

Homeward Bound serves the unique needs of families facing or experiencing homelessness with prevention, shelter, and after-care programs. Our Homelessness Prevention program is offered to the greater community; aimed to keep families on the brink of homelessness together in their very own homes by providing rent assistance, financial support, and resource navigation. Our bridge shelter and transitional housing program operates on The Thunderbirds Family Village campus with 76 residential units and includes a licensed childcare facility, after-school programs, family library, teen center, employment lab, emergency pantries, and on-site case management services. Once a family finds a home, we provide ongoing support through the after-care program to ensure they never face homelessness again.