November is Native American Heritage Month, which is especially poignant in Arizona. According to the U.S. Census, 12.9% of the U.S. Native American population call Arizona their home. In fact, our state is home to 22 tribal communities, including the Ak-Chin, Cocopah, Yavapai, Navajo, and more. In honor of this heritage, Teravalis supports Native American Connections to help provide health, housing, and community development throughout Arizona.  

We’d like to share some of the reasons why this month is important to Arizonans and some of the ways we’re working to help enrich the lives of Arizona’s indigenous population.  

Native American Heritage Month is one way we celebrate the traditions of the many diverse Native American communities throughout the country, including the Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian populations. It is also a time to remember the many Native American veterans who served in our Armed Forces in defense of our Nation. 

Visitors to Arizona will immediately see the impact Native American culture has on our state’s character. From architecture to art, the deep and diverse history of Arizona’s many tribal communities have become a draw for tourists everywhere.

Native American Connections has been serving our community for over 50 years. They first started from a single house, helping 16 Native American men recover from alcoholism. Since then, they have grown to own and operate over 1,000 apartments for homeless and low-income individuals and families.  

According to Diane Yazzie Devine, CEO of Native American Connections: 

“Native American Connections wants to ensure that people of all income levels can afford to live in downtown Phoenix, with easy access to the educational, nutritional, medical, and recreational resources that ensure a better quality of life for themselves and their families.” 

Beyond apartments, they also operate two homeless youth shelters, two residential treatment centers, and the Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center (PISVC), which tells the authentic story of the Indian Boarding School experience. PISVC also acts as a community development center with rentable meeting spaces and a commercial kitchen. 

Howard Hughes® is proud to support Native American Connections. Our efforts have included painting, property clean up, and trash removal at the Pendleton Court recovery housing site. Our Employee Resource Group (ERG) helped to fund and assist with a stunning mural that now adorns their HomeBase Transitional and Emergency Housing for Youth. The ERG team also assisted in painting HomeBase’s classroom and lounge space to give it a fresh new look.  

This year, we’ve also donated to help with their continuing mission to support individuals recovering from alcoholism and drug abuse, as well as the overall betterment of our community.

Teravalis is primed to be a 37,000-acre premier master planned community located in the West Valley of the Phoenix metropolitan area, in Buckeye, Arizona. Translating to “land of the valley,” Teravalis is positioned between the White Tank and Belmont Mountain ranges and is committed to embracing the natural High Sonoran Desert beauty. Utilizing innovative technology and sustainable planning, the community will feature unparalleled amenities and wide-open spaces to explore and discover. Teravalis is a community of Howard Hughes®, known for its mission to curate vibrant communities that elevate the everyday, creating meaningful moments in great places where people can live their best lives – and thrive for generations to come.