Tamu Arnoux dedicates her life to helping a population in the city that is often overlooked.

She is founder and director of Because Everyone Deserves Shelter, a transitional housing program for men who are going from shelters to independent living and for men recently released from prison trying to reintegrate into society. The Brooklyn-based program currently has 55 clients, mostly Black and Latino men.

A few weeks ago, BEDS expanded its program by opening a location in the Bronx.

A graduate of Metropolitan College, Arnoux earned her bachelor’s degree in human services. She wrote a thesis about men coming from incarceration, and the subject sparked her interest.

“A lot of men who come home after serving time can’t stay in the same neighborhood they grew up in or where they lived before,” she said. “It’s such a large demographic that is being ignored.”

Anroux and her husband, Richard, started BEDS in 2012, in a property purchased in Brooklyn. The facility is shared living community, as opposed to a shelter setting.

Aside from men who are coming out of shelters and prison, BEDS helps men who are battling addiction. Clients are referred by parole officers and institutions such as hospitals, before going to the city’s Human Resources Administration for an interview.

Men can stay in the program for up to two years; however, the average stay is one year.

Along with giving men a place to live, BEDS also provides services such as food and job assistance. Men learn resume writing and other skills for living independently getting back into society.

“There are all types of services the city offers to women and children, but this group also needs assistance,” Anroux said. “There are so many men who need our services, and we try our best to accommodate as many as we can.”

Since BEDS started, approximately 150 men have been through the program. However, Anroux said that the demographic continues to grow with an added population.

“I get about three calls a week now for single adult males with children,” she said.

This holiday season, BEDS is in the process of getting its kitchen up and running. There is a constant need for donations, including coats, gloves, socks and blankets. The program is in need of a washer and dryer so clients can clean their clothes on a regular basis. BEDS is always in need of volunteers to help with the program in different ways.