COCHISE COUNTY, Ariz. (KGUN) — According to the Arizona Department of Economic Security's 2023 annual report, there are more than 14,000 homeless people in the state, many of whom lack access to the resources they need on a daily basis.

That's why Lou Funk founded a nonprofit to provide resources for them.

“In 2021, I lost a really dear friend who lived at the Bisbee campground,” said Funk, executive director of Cochise Harm Reduction.

Cochise Harm Reduction (CHR) serves about 250 people a week, with Wednesday being the busiest day with around 80 people.

The CHR team is using the van to deliver supplies and meals to those who need it most, like Odell Stewart's mother, who has stage 4 lung cancer.

“It's less stress for my mom and I don't have to go looking for them,” Stewart said.

The nonprofit started in Bisbee and has grown to serve people in 16 zip code areas in Cochise County, including Benson, Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Douglas and Wilcox.

“I never expected this growth,” Funk said. “When I started this job, it was to help a small group of people in the community that I care about.”

Three times a week, the team delivers food, hygiene items, camping equipment, first aid kits and other items to people who have contacted them and asked for help.

“At least when I see their truck I know I'm getting a meal,” Katrina Callaway said.

During a recent delivery, CHR distributed more than 100 meals, and Funk said food is the first thing the trucks run out of, but rising food prices are impacting the amount of meals they can provide.

For Caraway, the resources are more important than the peer support the shelter provides, as all staff members have a history of drug use.

“What they're giving to people is actually so much more, and they're giving it to their hearts,” Caraway said.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 26 percent of homeless people in the U.S. abuse drugs, so CHR distributes Narcan, needles and drug testing kits.

“Rather than pretending that drug use doesn't exist, or pretending that injection drug use doesn't exist, harm reduction means we're providing these services and resources to help you stay safe because we want you to stay alive,” Funk said.

Last year, CHR engaged in more than 6,100 harm reduction services and is on track to surpass that figure this year, and Funk said the growth so far demonstrates the need for a mobile resource unit.

“There's a part of me that's upset that people don't have more (access),” Funk said. “They think that me and the CHR are all they have, and that shouldn't be the case.”

“It takes a village to protect a community.”