Phoenix (STN) – Twenty years ago, it was born from one man’s vision. Today, it stands as a cornerstone in the fight against homelessness and a powerful example of how collaboration can solve systemic problems.
During the December 2025 episode of ‘It Happens at STN,’ the ‘McQuaid Mission’ marked a milestone that reshaped the lives of thousands and altered the future of downtown Phoenix: the 20th anniversary of Key Campus and the work of Keys to Change.
CEO Amy Schwabenlender reflected on how what was once known as the Human Services Campus opened as a single location where multiple service providers came together to address homelessness differently.
“Key Campus opened 20 years ago as a collection of service providers to help adults experiencing homelessness move into housing,” she said.
Two decades later, the campus has grown into an operational backbone of Phoenix’s response to homelessness, bringing together more than a dozen partner organizations and serving nearly 900 people every night with shelter, health care, housing navigation, and wraparound services.
WATCH: How a bold vision became Phoenix’s engine for ending homelessness
Sister Adele O’Sullivan, founder of Circle the City, contrasted the landscape she encountered when she arrived downtown in the 1990s with what people find today.
“The services have evolved with the needs of the people over these 20 years,” she said, noting that relationships were as important as the programs themselves. “We were like family to each other.”
Much of the segment honored the late Mike McQuaid, the volunteer whose idea sparked the modern campus. Schwabenlender recalled how he recognized the fragmentation of services and imagined something better.
“Mike saw that services were scattered, and he had a vision to co-locate them in one place,” she said. “One of the saddest parts of being in this building is that he’s not here to see it.”
She also underscored the importance of storytelling in keeping his legacy alive.
“We have people working here now who never met Mike,” she said. “So we have to find a way to tell the story.”
Longtime staff member Joe Medina brought the mission back to a human scale. He recalled how his own journey led him from receiving services to working in the campus mailroom.
“Key Campus changed my life,” he said. “It continues to change my life because of the people who work here, the volunteers, and the clients.”
Two decades in, the message was clear: when vision meets trust, a community can build something that lasts.
