The NAU Review — Understanding homelessness, community engagement hours well spent and story time with President Cruz Rivera

 Dec. 12, 2023

The number of unhoused individuals in Arizona jumped almost 25 percent between 2020 and 2022 as safe, affordable housing disappeared throughout the state. This is a thorny, multifaceted issue, and one that health sciences researcher Sara Shuman is tackling as part of a federal effort to better understand and address homelessness throughout the nation. With a focus on health equity, Shuman and her team will document the needs and experiences of people living in encampments and evaluate the strategies used to manage homeless encampments in Yuma, Pima and Maricopa counties.

This year, Jacks put their community engagement hours to good use. Teams from across campus spent 1,567 hours working with local nonprofits cleaning and restoring environments, distributing food boxes, cleaning dog kennels and more.

Every day at Applin’s job is different; it keeps things fun. Learn more about the director of community engagement’s bucket list and what she really wanted to be when she grew up—and how she’s still keeping that childhood dream alive.