HOMELESS AND SPECIAL NEEDS

Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness

Over the last several years, new research, technologies, and nationwide collaborations have made dreaming of an end to homelessness possible. Pima County’s Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness was developed by a subcommittee of the Tucson Planning Council for the Homeless, with the assistance of a consultant hired to facilitate broad community input. Building on local needs and lessons from national best-practices research, the plan offers strategies to supplement and enhance the 10-year plan that is also being developed on a statewide level.

Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness

Ten-Year Plan - PowerPoint Presentation

Homeless and Special Needs Programs:

Homeless and Special Needs offers three main programs to meet the needs of its homeless and special needs individuals in Pima County. These programs include:

Emergency Shelter Grant
Supportive Housing Program (HUD's grant CASA)
Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS

Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG):

2007-2008 ESG Awards

The ESG program supports projects providing shelter and assistance to the homeless as well as providing funds to prevent homelessness. Funds provide essential services, including operations and maintenance for facilities assisting the homeless and services that prevent homelessness.

Pima County publishes a Request for Proposals. County staff reviews proposals along with representatives from the Tucson Planning Council for the Homeless and the local FEMA board.

Priority will be to fund agencies serving unincorporated Pima County as well as South Tucson, Marana, Sahuarita and Oro Valley.

For information on ESG, please contact:

Jane Kroesen
Community Development and Neighborhood Conservation
Kino Service Center
2797 E. Ajo Way
Tucson, Arizona 85713
520.243.6765 

Supportive Housing Program:

The goal of the CASA program is to assist participants (homeless families) in achieving and sustaining self-sufficiency and residential stability through an integrated program that consists of:

• Transitional housing
• Case management
• Employment and training, and
• Targeted educational services
 
Pima County Community Development and Neighborhood Conservation Department administers the CASA for Families grant, which operates in collaboration with the following non-profit agencies:

Jackson Employment Center

New Beginnings for Women and Children

Travelers Aid Society of Tucson

Salvation Army 

For information on services and eligibility requirements, please contact one of the agencies listed above.
 
For program information, please contact:

Gary Bachman, Community Development and Housing Officer
Community Development and Neighborhood Conservation
Kino Service Center
2797 E. Ajo Way
Tucson, Arizona 85713
520.243.6777

HOPWA was established by HUD in order to address the specific needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families. HOPWA makes grants to local communities, States, and nonprofit organizations for projects that benefit low-income persons medically diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and their families.

Funding for HOPWA comes from the HOPWA Competitive Program, a national competition to select model projects or programs. Ten percent of available HOPWA funds are awarded as grants during a competitive selection of projects proposed by State, city, and local governments or by nonprofit organizations. HOPWA Competitive Program grants may be awarded to existing grants as renewals or to new projects.

Positive Directions

In Pima County, the project is called Positive Directions and it has just been renewed for another three years, to the end of 2008, for a total of $940,000.  Positive Directions is a collaborative effort of Pima County and two project sponsors: the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF), and the City of Tucson. The project is designed to create a continuum of care for people who are low-income and HIV positive, and their families, by filling gaps in both housing and services in Tucson and Pima County.

Recognizing the importance of stable housing, the two primary goals of the Positive Directions project are:

• To increase independence through subsidized, supportive housing.

• To maximize self-sufficiency through intensive, personalized services.

The project addresses these through three key components: transitional housing; long-term rent subsidies, and support and referral services through intensive case management.

The services offered are based on priorities established by the County HIV Care Consortium. The project provides needed housing and support services under the Continuum of Care plan in connection with other transitional and permanent housing, as well as programs offering services for low-income persons.

For eligibility requirements or to make an appointment, please contact:

Southern Arizona Aids Foundation (SAAF)
375 S. Euclid Avenue
Tucson, Arizona 85719
520.628.SAAF (7223)

For further information regarding the program in general, please contact:

Daniel Tylutki, Housing Program Coordinator
Community Development and Neighborhood Conservation
Kino Service Center
2797 E. Ajo Way
Tucson, Arizona 85713
520.243.6765

Pima County Community Development and Housing Programs promote equal opportunity for all residents.