ABOUT OUR FOUNDER
Richard Cunningham
CHiP’s founder, has a long history of serving the Casa Grande community. His heart for people experiencing homelessness, crisis, and reentry challenges led him to create CHiP — a nonprofit focused on compassion, dignity, and personal transformation.
Richard’s commitment to helping others rebuild their lives continues to guide CHiP’s programs and mission today.
Our history
CHiP (Catalysts Helping Increase Potential) was founded in Casa Grande after years of seeing the growing needs of individuals experiencing homelessness, crisis, and instability in the community. Long before CHiP became an official nonprofit, founder Richard Cunningham was already walking the streets, meeting people where they were, handing out food, offering rides, helping with job searches, and connecting individuals to resources one person at a time.
Richard saw a gap: many people weren’t falling through the cracks — they were already past the cracks. They needed someone willing to walk with them, advocate for them, and stay consistent when life felt overwhelming.
In response, CHiP was formed with a simple mission:
to provide compassionate support, practical resources, and hope for individuals working toward stability.
In its early days, CHiP partnered with His House Resource Center, serving meals, offering emotional support, and helping individuals navigate housing, employment, and personal challenges. As needs grew, CHiP expanded to include:
- Food and clothing support
- Transportation to appointments and job interviews
- Counseling and emotional guidance
- Reentry support for individuals leaving incarceration
- Veteran assistance
- Life skills coaching
- Mentorship
- Housing navigation
Over time, word spread. More individuals came seeking help, and more community members stepped up to volunteer and support the mission. CHiP quickly became known not only for meeting immediate needs, but for its personal, relational approach — the kind that treats every person with dignity, respect, and compassion.
Today, CHiP continues to grow as a trusted resource in Casa Grande, partnering with churches, nonprofits, local agencies, and generous volunteers to serve the community. What began as one person’s calling has become a movement of hope, stability, and second chances.
And the mission remains the same:
Walk alongside people, increase potential, and help individuals build a life they are proud of.
Our mission
At CHiP, our mission is to walk alongside individuals who are facing some of the hardest moments of their lives. We exist to create a safe, supportive, and judgment-free environment where every person is treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.
We believe that every individual has potential, even when circumstances make it hard to see. Our goal is to meet people exactly where they are—whether they are experiencing homelessness, reentering society after incarceration, facing job loss, searching for stability, or simply needing someone to believe in them.
CHiP provides essential resources such as food, clothing, transportation, housing navigation, counseling, life skills, job support, and mentoring. But our mission goes beyond services. We aim to build relationships that foster hope, confidence, and long-term stability. We walk every step with those we serve, offering guidance, encouragement, and practical tools that empower individuals to rebuild their lives and move forward with purpose.
Through community partnerships, dedicated volunteers, generous supporters, and a commitment to personalized care, CHiP works to inspire lasting change—one person, one family, one step at a time.
Our mission is to be a catalyst for transformation, helping individuals discover their potential and reclaim their future, while creating a community where no one has to navigate hardship alone.
