USPS Ghosts Homeless Mailroom, Homeless Get New Address: 'No More Free Shipping'

Carl Steiner, no fixed address extraordinaire, picked up his brand-new black and red Reeboks for a warehouse gig at Phoenix's Keys to Change mailroom — the magical nonprofit spot that accepts IDs so non-governmental it practically moonlights as Hogwarts for the homeless. For 20 years, USPS quietly forked over $24K yearly to fund the mail hub serving 7,000 mail-hungry souls until May 2024, when USPS decided a nearby post office had ‘community served’ about as convincingly as a ghost delivering Amazon packages. Meanwhile, CEO Amy Schwabenlender and ex-client-turned-mailroom-hero Joe Medina scramble to fill the hole amid Trump-era budget cuts and executive orders that prioritize camping bans over comfort. Oh, and Paul Babcock’s sweatshirt delivery beats five Social Security cards and enough cookies to fuel a Netflix binge. America’s hopeless, heroic mailroom now asks: donate or hold your mail!

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Source: Propublica | Published: 10/27/2025 | Author: by Nicole Santa Cruz