In our celebration of Native American Heritage Month, ULI Arizona had the pleasure of chatting with Michael Rosenthal, Senior Director of Fund Development and Philanthropy for Native American Connections (NAC).

ULI:  Tell us a little bit about the history of your organization:
Rosenthal: For 50 years, Native American Connections (NAC) has been serving the community through its three guiding pillars:  health, housing, and community development.  Beginning with a single house serving 16 Native American men in alcohol recovery, NAC has grown to own/operate 1,000 apartments for homeless and low-income individuals and families, 2 residential treatment centers, 2 homeless youth shelters and the Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center where the authentic story of the Indian Boarding School experience is told.

ULI:  How has the organization’s Native American heritage influenced the business philosophy or approach?
Rosenthal:  All of NAC’s residential treatment and outpatient behavioral health programs incorporate traditional healing practices.

ULI: Can you share a project that you’re particularly proud of that reflects Native American culture or contributions?
Rosenthal:  NAC operates the Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center (PISVC), an historic building on the site of the former Phoenix Indian Boarding School. It features a gallery telling the authentic story and experience of children forcibly taken from their homes.  The PISVC also serves as a community development center with rentable community meeting spaces and a commercial kitchen.

ULI:  How does NAC engage with the Native American community in the Phoenix area?
Rosenthal:  NAC is a culturally competent provider of health and housing services. NAC follows all of the non-discrimination HUD guidelines for housing yet 65% of its residents are Native American because of our culturally competent wraparound services, reputation for excellence, and trust built over a half century.

ULI:  How would you encourage others in our industry to get involved with Native American Connections?
Rosenthal: NAC is always looking partners, funders, and volunteers who want to be on the forefront addressing the housing crisis in Arizona. Most of our properties utilize low-income housing tax credits for construction, seek private foundation and donor funding for programs and services, and recruit volunteers who cook, paint, and work with residents (adults and children) teaching life skills and building community.

ULI:  What are future plans for NAC?
Rosenthal:  NAC has two properties under development at this time. Osborn Pointe is a 48-unit apartment building for homeless individuals.  This building is our first panelized approach to construction project (including joists, trusses and walls), and is scheduled to be completed in the 4^th quarter of 2024.

The Moreland is a 236-unit, multi-bedroom affordable housing apartment building for low-income families that is a partnership with the City of Phoenix.

NAC is exploring options to build an emergency shelter for families in the West Valley that would include wraparound services for rapid rehousing.

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Michael Rosenthal enjoys a 30-year history of non-profit fund development, serving medically fragile and economically displaced communities nationally and internationally.  His passion is to develop programs that improve quality of life and develop the funding to support the work.

Rosenthal is a graduate of the Arizona State University College of Business and is a native Arizonan.  Having seen the State experience decades of change, he is keenly in tune with the growing disparities in health, housing and service to marginalized communities such the people serviced by Native American Connections (NAC).

His role at NAC includes supervision of marketing and communications, an important component of Fund Development, and is instrumental in developing and executing strategic plans to further the mission of NAC.