Begin your new life today. With the support of Fresh Start, increase your wages, start a new career, and put your family on track for economic stability for generations to come.
Start here
The first of its kind in the state of Arizona, our Impact Program provides wrap-around services help women use their strength to thrive.
Learn About Our Work
Overview
Offerings per pillar
We provide holistic, comprehensive guidance to ensure the women we serve have the support and resources necessary to create lasting change.
Learn About Our Approach
Strategic Overview
Reports & Resources
We are proud to collaborate with employer, educator, and community partners to provide growth opportunities for women.
Learn About Our Partners
Our Partnerships
Connect with us to become a part of the Fresh Start community. Whether you’re looking to donate, volunteer, or partner with us, we are excited to get you involved.
Get Involved
Ways to Get Involved
Signature Events
Success Stories
Success is more than a destination—it is present in every step of a woman’s courageous journey to achieving her full potential. See the power of lives transformed as we empower Arizona’s women to succeed.
The Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on life as Martha knew it. She slipped into feelings of negativity as her days passed in seclusion and loneliness. Martha wanted to break the cycles of negativity and turned to Fresh Start to find her “fresh start.”
In the grief of the loss of her mother and her relationship, Miriam felt completely alone. Ten years later, Miriam experienced another inexplicable loss with the passing of her 16-year-old son.
Just before her birthday, Alyssa suffered a huge blow that set off a chain reaction of struggles. In the depths of her despair, she found herself battling severe depression that resulted in a failed suicide attempt.
Genevieve’s Fresh Start story begins in August of 2004. A single mother of two kids, she was unemployed without any savings, and needed money to pay her rent. Fresh Start helped Genevieve conquer obstacles and achieve her full potential as she became a commercial real estate owner investor.
Tennessee wanted her kids to be raised in a home with a father, a fence, and a dog—something she never had. Instead, she found herself on the run from an abusive husband who ruled their home with control and fear. She knew that in order to save herself and her children she had to leave.
Brandi lost her job in the architectural field when the great recession hit and she fell into a serious depression. A friend connected her with Fresh Start where she found support and became empowered to pursue a master’s degree in construction management.
Julia came to Fresh Start 20 years ago as a survivor of domestic violence in an abusive marriage to a drug addicted husband. She began working with a social worker to receive healing-centered trauma-informed support and she enrolled in the Personal Empowerment Series to create healthy boundaries in her relationships.
Sarah struggled with many layers of trauma, but within the doors of Fresh Start, Sarah felt safe for the first time in a long time. She used several Fresh Start resources, including workshops and counseling, to achieve her goals. Along the way she found a new community of women all looking to grow and thrive.
Angela’s life changed when she found Fresh Start in 2018 and immediately connected with a social worker to discuss her struggles and goals as an immigrant in a new country.
Marie always wanted to be an entrepreneur and launched her own business out of her work in Fresh Start’s Small Business Start-Up (SBSU) Program.
For most of her life, Leticia felt she was missing a true sense of community, and she needed help honing in on her interests and meeting like-minded people. With Fresh Start’s support, Leticia prioritized her goals and dreams and earned her master’s degree.
In the midst of starting her own business, Kathleen looked to Fresh Start’s Small Business Start-Up (SBSU) Program through Paradise Valley Community College to help get her business off the ground.
After struggling with the discovery of her autoimmune disease, Eve felt her self-esteem plummet to its lowest. Her life unraveled far from the plan she had in her mind, and she needed support. Fresh Start entered her life at the perfect moment and now she’s flourishing in the beauty of the unexpected.
As an immigrant arriving to the United States, Mila didn’t speak English, she had no cultural knowledge or experience and no means for transportation. “Everything was a challenge,” Mila said. “My life was not glamorous and it took several rapid turns with more hardship than I could ever have imagined.”
Belinda felt a strong urge to move to the Southwest and begin a new career that would satisfy her passion to help others. With Fresh Start’s support, Belinda found a career that both allowed her to support herself and satiated her life goals.
Second chances in life are within reach when organizations join together in support, and Kathy experienced this firsthand as she began her journey from incarceration to re-entry and her new brighter future.
Jessica went back-and-forth between working and short-term disability while caring for her children. When she lost her job in 2020, Jessica decided to go back to school but needed additional support and resources. Through Fresh Start, she enrolled in the Personal Empowerment Series and Grow with Google and found community in a support group for her disability.
Sylvia came to Fresh Start as a full-time mom in the midst of a stressful divorce. She wanted to gain independence and teach her two sons that they could do anything they set their mind to. Through the support and community at Fresh Start, Sylvia earned a bachelor’s degree and the freedom she desired.
Nyreesha, once homeless, first turned to Fresh Start to join the Small Business Start-Up Program, but when she fell on hard times, the organization was there for her. She connected with Fresh Start mentors and reignited her growth journey and now runs a successful business.
As a struggling single mom of two kids, including a special needs child with high functioning autism, Diana felt emotionally and financially broken. Diana took Fresh Start classes to earn multiple promotions at work, fully support her family’s financial needs, and build her dream career in real estate.
Before she found Fresh Start in 2021, Crystal was depressed and hopeless. She didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life or how to be an example for her children as a stay-at-home mom. Her depression was seeping into other areas of her life, affecting her marriage and her parenting.
A young single mother dealing with the aftermath of abuse, Kate turned to Fresh Start for legal advice and found much more.
“I’ve finally learned that me – all of me – is deserving of love. Inside this shell, she’s beautiful, and I can say that with confidence today…And I thank you all for my fresh start.”
After 40 years in an abusive marriage, Carol finally got the courage to leave. Through Fresh Start’s classes and support, she found her confidence and now speaks about domestic violence.
In the flash of a moment, Kimberly’s life changed: a critical accident involving her two children upended the familiar, leaving her lost. With Fresh Start’s support, however, she would regain her footing, find community, gain confidence, and return to school to continue her education.
Grow with Google gives Fresh Start women with the opportunity to earn a Google Career certificate in the high-growth fields of data analytics, IT support, project management, & user experience, ultimately empowering them to earn a self-sufficient wage and provide for their families.
In partnership with Intel and Mesa Community College, Fresh Start established a free 10-day semiconductor manufacturing workforce development initiative. The one-of-a-kind initiative is designed to increase the number of female technicians in Arizona.
KS StateBank partnered with Fresh Start to enhance our Financial Management pillar, offering one-time incentives to help women establish proactive, healthy money-management behaviors in times of financial need.
Fresh Start is proud to now be a certified AHCCCS community partner organization, making a vital, new resource available to women within the last year.
Fresh Start is thrilled to now host Community Legal Services on-site, giving women access to pro bono family law services, empowering them to advocate for themselves and their children in family court.
“Fresh Start has positively impacted my life. Knowing that there are people who are positive in a negative world—that they’re there to encourage you every step of the way and want to see you move forward—makes me feel encouraged. I am going to take what I learned and keep applying it to my life and work.”
From facing homelessness to receiving a Fresh Start scholarship that allowed her to get her real estate license, Jaylene was able to transform her life, achieve self-sufficiency, and use her strength to thrive.
“When I first came to Fresh Start, I had two suitcases and a prayer.” Moving to Phoenix alone and without a job, Blaire found herself in need of resources, guidance, and community. With Fresh Start support, Blaire advanced her career, eventually going on to earn her master’s degree and a Google career certificate.
When Nancy’s son joined the military, the single mom found herself lacking direction. Then, she found Fresh Start—and began the journey to a new, fulfilling life.
Tonya’s lifelong dream of owning a bakery always seemed just out of reach. With help from a Fresh Start mentor, she was soon welcoming customers to her new shop.
