Fundraiser moves Maricopa project for former foster youth closer to groundbreaking

By Ryan Tafoya
Jun 30, 2026

Kicking up support

UPDATE 2:35 p.m., June 30, 2026: Event organizer Torri Anderson today told InMaricopa the fundraiser generated more than $18,000.

“[We are] so happy with the turnout and community support,” she said.

ORIGINAL STORY 11:40 a.m., June 30, 2026: A Maricopa fundraiser brought community members together at Duke’s Roadhouse Saturday night to support the future Open Arms Vocational Living Center, a facility that will provide housing and job training for young men who have aged out of the foster care system.

The “Dirty Boots and Dollars” event was organized by Torri Anderson, director of Against Abuse. While a final amount hasn’t been announced, money raised during the event will help the center break ground after securing a land lease in May last year.

The private event started on Duke’s upper floor with raffles and a buffet. Around 100 people attended, with a live band performing on the main stage and guests dancing.

The fundraising included raffles and custom cowboy boot centerpieces for sale lined tables.

One attendee included Councilmember Amber Liermann, one of the center’s founders. She drew on two decades as a school counselor at Maricopa High School to explain the situation for young men. When students came to her without stable housing, the options were often limited.

“We make phone calls and say, ’Well, you can go to Casa Grande, you can go to Tempe, you can go to Mesa,’ because that’s where the shelters are for young men,” Liermann said. “And they would look at me and say, ‘I don’t want to leave Maricopa. My friends are here, I go to school here, I have a job here.'”

These scenarios often result in young men couch surfing rather than choosing to leave their community, she said.

The facility will go beyond housing, with residents building their own tiny homes and working within Maricopa as part of their training. The center has already established relationships with Central Arizona College, Maricopa Unified School District and Central Arizona Valley Institute of Technology, which plans to open a new campus in the city.

Choice Integrated Healthcare CEO Mike Hoeffel, whose company will provide behavioral and mental health services at the center, said the issue extends well beyond Maricopa.

“This is not a big city–specific issue,” he said. “We have children that become adults and all of a sudden instantly fall through the cracks.”