Homelessness affects nearly 10,000 Arizonans on any given night. While finding housing is critical, true stability begins when that space starts to feel like a home. That’s why every person housed through HOM’s Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) program receives a move-in kit from Life Startup Essentials. The kit includes everyday items needed to start fresh and live independently.

Each move-in kit contains over $500 worth of items and includes a $25 gift card. The kits include essential household supplies, such as cookware, bedding, cleaning items, and personal care products. They help transform empty apartments into real homes, allowing individuals and families to settle in with dignity and comfort.

Through our Arizona-based partnership with Life Startup Essentials, HOM provides move-in kits to people in supportive housing programs across the state. Life Startup Essentials has delivered more than 100,000 kits nationwide, and HOM’s collaboration ensures Arizonans receive the resources they need to start their next chapter. The kits are funded by AHCCCS for ABC CoC, AHP, and now H2O programs.

The kit includes a variety of new items to help participants get settled in their new home.

The Origins of Life Startup Essentials 

Life Startup Essentials was born from the vision of Courtney Newell, her husband Mark, and brother-in-law Anthony, all former HOM employees. Courtney, a Housing Specialist, and Mark and Anthony, HQS inspectors, saw firsthand the challenges faced by those transitioning into housing.  

A defining moment came when Courtney encountered a HOM participant standing by the roadside, asking for money to buy cookware after being placed in housing.

“When you’re placed in supportive housing, often times it’s just four empty walls,” she recalled. The experience ignited their commitment to create “Welcome Home Kits” that provide essential home supplies from day one. 

Starting in Phoenix with limited funding, the trio began assembling the kits, learning freight logistics and product sourcing on the fly. With early support from HOM President and CEO Mike Shore, their shared vision and relentless drive turned an innovative idea into a success.  

“It was all a learning process,” Courtney said.  

Their persistence paid off, growing Life Startup Essentials into a national company. Today, they source all move-in kit items themselves, handle in-state deliveries directly, and ship nationwide through freight providers.  

“Today, we’re all over the U.S.,” Courtney said.  

PSH participants receive an unopened move-in kit, welcome card and a $25 gift card to Walmart.

Why Move-In Kits Are Important 

Life Startup Essentials delivers move-in kits that furnish entire living spaces with kitchenware, bedding, cleaning supplies, and bath items. “By collaborating with Life Startup, housing advocates can enhance the success of their housing programs by providing the home supplies families require to maintain their homes and create a stable, self-sufficient environment to thrive,” their mission states. The process is simple: 

1. Choose a pre-designed move-in kit or build a custom one. 
2. Specify delivery time and location. 
3. Receive bulk shipments to agencies or single kits delivered directly to tenants’ doors via their online store. 

Their offerings include bakeware, bath, bed, kitchen, cleaning, hygiene, Casa, and Compound move-in kits, plus a build-your-own option.  

“We listen to housing providers’ pain points and focus on things we can solve,” Courtney said.  

Locally sourced in Phoenix and supported by grants, their move-in kits started modestly but have grown into comprehensive packages. The team now ships them nationwide to meet rising demand.

How to Get a Move-In Kit 

To receive a move-in kit, individuals must go through Arizona’s housing assistance process. This involves entering the coordinated entry system or specialized programs, such as the AHCCCS Housing Program. HOM delivers a move-in kit directly to the new home once someone is placed in PSH.

For detailed guidance, visit HOM’s housing assistance guide: How to Get Housing Assistance in Arizona.  

Being proactive is key to securing housing. Contact coordinated entry points or providers to receive a move-in kit and begin your journey toward stability.

HOM coordinates kit delivery after a PSH participant moves in.

What’s in a HOM Custom Move-In Kit? 

Valued at over $500, the HOM custom move-in kit includes all-new essentials. It gives each participant a fresh start and the dignity of a home that truly feels their own.

“Everything is new and nice when they move in. It allows people to move in with more dignity,” Courtney emphasized.  

Designed to equip an entire living space, the kit includes: 

• Bedding and Comfort: A queen air mattress with a built-in pump (“a good bridge” until permanent furniture arrives), pillows, a queen sheet set, and a comforter. 
• Kitchen Essentials: A 36-piece stainless steel cookware set, 12-piece dinnerware, tumblers, cutting board, can opener, measuring cups/spoons, colander, cookie pan, cake pan, ice cube trays, food storage, salt/pepper set, peeler, coffee maker, and toaster. 
• Bath and Hygiene: Bath towels, washcloth, bath rug, shower curtain and rings, plunger, toilet brush, hygiene kit, and toilet paper. 
• Cleaning and Household: Broom, mop, dustpan, multipurpose cleaner, dish soap, Fabuloso, floor cleaner, sponges, dish and kitchen towels, potholder, laundry detergent, laundry bag, trash bags, waste baskets, a 10-quart bucket, and paper towels. 
• Other Essentials: Hangers, Bissell vacuum, and a dish drying rack. 

These carefully curated items remove immediate barriers, helping HOM participants settle into their new homes with confidence and comfort. 

Homes with Hope 

Life Startup Essentials helps transform four empty walls into homes filled with hope. This directly advances our mission to end homelessness across Arizona. Each move-in kit provides individuals and families not just household essentials, but also the foundation for stability, dignity, and lasting self-sufficiency.

Life Startup Essentials and HOM are proving that ending homelessness takes more than housing — it takes community, compassion, and the tools to truly start over. Together, we can build a future where everyone has a place to call home.