TPCH 2023 Continuum of Care Board and Committee Election

TPCH CONTINUUM OF CARE BOARD AND COMMITTEE ELECTION

ALL VOTES DUE BY 11:59PM ON FRIDAY, MAY 19

Please attend the General Council on May 11th when the voting materials for this year's election will be reviewed. Members of the TPCH General Council with voting privileges are eligible to vote on all vacant Board and Committee seats.

ELECTION MATERIALS

Download the Board and Committee election materials here. This package includes:

Overview of the election process and voting instructions
Roster of current members of TPCH General Council with voting privileges as of April 27, 2023
Roster of seated CoC Board Members
Roster of CoC Board and Committee candidates
Listing of CoC Board and Committee candidates with disclosed areas of expertise as defined by the TPCH Committee Composition Operating Policy and key diversity goals
Candidate statements of interest and affiliations
Overview of CoC Committee purpose and summarized responsibilities
Quick Reference tool identifying candidates by organization and bodies to which each candidate has applied

VOTING INSTRUCTIONS

Voting will occur online, starting April 28. Cast your vote here.

Only one ballot may be cast for each TPCH voting organizational member identified in the membership roster. Multiple votes from the same organization will not be accepted.

Ballots may not include votes for more candidates than are eligible for election on any voting body. The ballot indicates the total number of votes that can be cast for each voting body.

No individual may serve on more than two (2) elected bodies of the Continuum of Care (CoC Board + 1 Committee, or 2 Committees).

No agency may have more than two (2) representatives seated on any elected body. If an agency has two (2) elected representatives on a single elected body, each representative will have one vote on all actions taken by the elected body.

All ballots must be cast online no later than 11:59pm on Friday, May 19.

Late ballots will not be accepted.

Starting April 28, cast your vote here.

TPCH Continuum of Care Board announces call for Board and Committee Applications – Applications due April 23, 2023

TPCH Continuum of Care Board announces call for Board and Committee Applications

Applications due Sunday, April 23, 2023

The Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness (TPCH) is a coalition of community and faith-based organizations, government entities, businesses, and individuals committed to the mission of ending homelessness and addressing the issues related to homelessness in our community. The Board and committees form the core of our governance model, where community members, people with lived experience, and agency staff come together to lead our strategic efforts to prevent and end homelessness.

The TPCH Governance Charter outlines the purpose, responsibilities, and procedures for each TPCH committee. Committee members oversee and monitor the shared work of TPCH and its members, providing guidance and expertise to the CoC Board. Committee members are elected and appointed annually in May. All of TPCH’s governing documents can be found by clicking TPCH Governing Documents - Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness, and committee responsibilities can be found by clicking TPCH Committees & Community Coalitions - Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness.

Following is a list of the current vacancies, which will be filled by a combination of General Council election and Board appointment.

TPCH Board (4 vacancies)

The Board is an independent body comprised of community stakeholders who are committed to furthering TPCH’s work to prevent and end homelessness in Tucson and throughout Pima County. The Board serves as the primary decision-making body for TPCH and oversees planning for the area and funding activities conducted by TPCH.

Click here to apply to fill a vacant CoC Board seat.

Coordinated Entry Committee (up to 2 vacancies, dependent upon Board vote on April 25)

The Coordinated Entry Committee provides expertise, oversight, and guidance to the CoC Board, related to the TPCH Coordinated Entry System.

Continuum of Care Program Grant Committee (2 vacancies)

The Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Grant Committee provides expertise and guidance to the Board related to the HUD CoC funding program in Tucson/Pima County.

Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Committee (1 vacancy)

The HMIS Committee provides expertise, oversight, and guidance to the CoC Board related to the TPCH Homeless Management Information System.

System Performance Evaluation Committee (3 vacancies, 2 of which are for persons with lived experience)

The System Performance Evaluation Committee monitors the effectiveness and efficiency of the Tucson/Pima homeless response system’s efforts to prevent and end homelessness in the area. The committee provides expertise and guidance to the Board to improve system performance.

Youth Action Committee (YAC) (6 vacancies for persons younger than 25 years of age)

As a committee comprised entirely of people with lived experience of homelessness, the YAC appoints its own members as outlined in the TPCH Youth Action Committee Governance Policy approved by the TPCH CoC Board in July 2020. YAC members are not elected during the annual election. Applications for the YAC will be forward directly to the YAC co-chairs for review.

Click here to apply for one or more vacant TPCH committee seats.

Apply no later than 11:59PM on Sunday, April 23, 2023.

Click here to review the TPCH Code of Conduct.

Click here to review the TPCH Conflict of Interest Policy.

HUD Awards $11.9M in Annual Program Funds to Support Homeless Assistance Programs in Tucson/Pima County

Fiscal Year 2022 Continuum of Care Program Grant Awards

On March 27, 2023, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development awarded $11,971,076 in Fiscal Year 2022 Continuum of Care Program funds to local homeless assistance programs in Tucson/Pima County.

The announcement renews 100% of funding for existing projects which were submitted to HUD in the FY 2022 annual funding competition as well as the addition of 3 new projects funded through CoC Bonus and Domestic Violence Bonus funding.

These new bonus project will provide 53 additional units of permanent supportive housing in the local Continuum of Care and improve Coordinated Entry services as they relate to meeting the supportive housing needs of persons fleeing domestic abuse.

Congratulations to TPCH member agencies awarded funds through the announcement!

City of Tucson
FY 2022 Continuum of Care Planning Grant ($326,266)
Shelter Plus Care II Consolidated ($2,293,740)
Tucson/Pima Coordinated Entry Project ($372,595)
Tucson/Pima Coordinated Entry - DV Expansion ($225,509)

Community Bridges, Inc.
CBI Pima Permanent Supportive Housing 37 ($543,776)
CBI YOURRH Project ($434,082)

Community Partnership of Southern Arizona
Frontiers ($225,303)
Medical Respite PSH ($260,154)
Shelter Plus Care TRA ($1,112,968)
Transitions PSH ($269,328)

Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse
RRH for Survivors of Domestic Abuse ($285,559)

Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona
Goodwill Metro/REC Reengagement Project for Homeless Youth ($147,699)

La Frontera Center
Sonora House - Safe Haven ($433,245)

Old Pueblo Community Services
Bread and Roses Transitional Housing ($432,000)
Oasis PSH ($214,712)
Oasis Expansion Project ($307,016)
Ocotillo ($162,525)

Our Family Services
Home Again ($736,882)
Homes First ($233,867)
Secure Futures ($339,117)
New Hope ($506,895)
Youth Care ($329,136)

Pima County
CASA ($469,845)
La Casita ($212,295)
One-Stop RRH ($224,069)
Pima County HMIS ($421,492)
Project Advent ($451,001)

U of A Southwest Institute for Research on Women releases census updates to Housing Insecurity and Potential Homelessness Report

The University of Arizona Southwest Institute for Research on Women has released its most recent update to its report on Housing Insecurity Indicators and Potential Homelessness Estimates for Arizona and Pima County. This report measures current housing insecurity with newer census data.

Download the report here.

This most recent survey wave contains multiple pieces of concerning news.

Despite hardship caused by inflation, the positive macroeconomic situation has continued to hold steadily at the national and state levels (AZ unemployment has increased very modestly in recent months, but remains well below historical averages). In the previous survey wave, collected January 4^th-16^th 2023, the proportion of non-current renters was 11.2%. In the most recent survey, conducted February 1^st–13^th 2023, this proportion held steady at 11.0%. Rising rents and inflation are the likely the central drivers of this, especially for households with limitations on their ability to benefit from the strong labor market.
In the previous report from early-January, 52% of non-current renters had not applied for rental assistance, this proportion rose to 76% in the most recent wave. Across those two survey waves, the proportion of non-current renters reporting having applied and received assistance fell from 25% to 1%. This suggests that fewer non-current renters are seeking out and receiving rental assistance (as we might expect given the expiration of rental assistance funds).
Counts of calls to 211 from Pima County indicate a substantial increase in calls related to housing and shelter, utilities, and food requests in the last 6-8 months.
Figures from Maricopa’s HMIS data indicate a 10% increase in the total number of people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County between January and December of 2022 (and a 20% increase in the “balance of the state”, the areas outside of Maricopa and Pima counties)."

There is continuing good news to report on rents.

Tucson rent prices have been decreasing, albeit very modestly, in recent months. This reversal of recent trends is a very welcome relief, but does not erase the increases in average and median rents experienced over the past three years (which remain the area of 37-38% even after including the small recent declines in median rents, Jan 2020-Jan2023). Statewide 68% of Arizona renters reported an increase in their monthly rent in the last year and 56% reported an increase of $100 or more. Disparities in financial strain along the lines of household incomes have increased in this and recent survey waves. Measures of households not being current on rental payments and those experiencing great difficulty meeting spending needs indicate that lower-income and BIPOC households in Arizona are slipping behind disproportionately.

Download the report here.

TPCH News - March 2023

U of A Southwest Institute for Research on Women releases census updates to Housing Insecurity and Potential Homelessness Report

Download the report here.

Since the last census wave, there are points of significant concern.

Despite hardship caused by inflation, the positive macroeconomic situation has continued to hold steadily at the national and state levels (AZ unemployment has increased very modestly in recent months, but remains well below historical averages). In a previous survey wave, collected December 9^th-19^th 2022, the proportion of non-current renters was 8.9%. In the most recent survey, conducted January 4^th–16^th 2023, this proportion rose to 11.2%.
In the December 2022 survey wave nearly a fifth of non-current renters (19%) reported viewing eviction in the next two months as “very likely”. The intensity of this indicator increased slightly in January with 21% of non-current renters viewing eviction as “very likely” in the next two months.
In a previous report from mid-October, 81% of non-current renters had not applied for rental assistance, this proportion fell to 52% in the most recent wave. This suggests that more non-current renters are seeking out rental assistance, however it is unclear if rental assistance will reach these households. Mortgage holders in Arizona continue to be in a strong financial position. Only 3.7% reported being not current on mortgage payments (3.6% in the previous survey). Of those that are not current on payments 14% see a foreclosure in the next two months as "very likely”. This is a large increase relative to the <1% seeing foreclosure as very likely in the last survey wave, but this is a very small percentage of all mortgage holders so large swings are possible in these proportions and don’t necessarily indicate much (future surveys will reveal if this is a trend).
Nationwide, individuals reporting that they have serious disabilities are increasingly disproportionately likely to report being behind on rent payments. It appears that members of historically marginalized groups (especially people living with disabilities) are not benefiting from the improved economy as quickly on average as other demographic groups. Counts of calls to 211 from Pima County indicate a substantial increase in calls related to housing and shelter, utilities, and food requests in the last 6-8 months. In January we observed the largest monthly count of eviction filings in Pima County since the onset of the pandemic. Last, figures from Maricopa’s HMIS data indicate a 10% increase in the total number of people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County between January and December of 2022 (and a 20% increase in the “balance of the state”, the areas outside of Maricopa and Pima counties).

This stubbornly high level of housing insecurity among Arizona renters is unusual given historically low unemployment, and contrasts with continuing improvement in the financial position of Arizona mortgage holders. Rising rents and inflation are the likely the central drivers of this disconnect, especially for households with limitations on their ability to benefit from the strong labor market.

There is continuing good news to report on.

Tucson rent prices have been decreasing, albeit very modestly, in recent months. This reversal of recent trends is a very welcome relief but does not erase the increases in average and median rents experienced over the past two years (which remain in the area of 30-33% even after including the small recent declines in median rents). Statewide 69% of Arizona renters reported an increase in their monthly rent in the last year and 57% reported an increase of $100 or more. This indicates that most renters have been directly impacted by increases in rent prices in Arizona over the past year. Disparities in financial strain along the lines of household incomes have increased in this and recent survey waves. Measures of households not being current on rental payments and those experiencing great difficulty meeting spending needs indicate that lower-income and BIPOC households in Arizona are slipping behind disproportionately.

Download the report here.

Join TPCH for Part III of Foster Care Training Series and Family Unification Program Voucher Availability

The Homeless Youth Coalition of TPCH is hosting its third and final segment of the three-part training series on Foster Care. Part III, Policies and Programs Serving Older Youth, will take place at the Goodwill Metro Re-engagement Center (REC) on Thursday, March 2, 2023 from 3-4:30pm.

This training will be in person and pre-registration is required. Register here, or download the flier below for a QR code to register.

A special part of this agenda will include staff from the City of Tucson Public Housing Authority, who will be sharing updates on the availability of Family Unification Vouchers, which serve youth exiting the foster care system. This program has immediate availability to enroll 75 eligible youth in housing.

Click here to download the flier.

What is the Family Unification Program?

The Family Unification Program (FUP) is a program under which Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) are provided for families engaged with the child welfare system and unaccompanied youth age 24 and younger who are aging out of or have aged out of the foster care system.

Eligibility restrictions do apply. The City of Tucson Public Housing Authority currently has immediate availability to enroll 75 eligible youth in the program which provides up to 36 months of rental assistance.

Join us on March 2 to learn more about eligibility requirements and the process for helping eligible youth receive FUP housing assistance.

TPCH General Council Attendance and Voting Privileges Community Notice

TPCH Quarterly Membership Met on Thursday, February 9

Section 2.04 of the Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness Governance Charter requires that the CoC Lead Agency/Collaborative Applicant publish a list of members gaining voting privileges, at risk of losing voting privileges, and having lost voting privileges within 15 days following each General Council meeting. The last TPCH General Council meeting was held on Thursday, February 9, 2023 from 12:30-5pm.

Per the TPCH Governance Charter, voting privileges are assigned to TPCH members in attendance at two of the three immediately preceding General Council meetings. For a list of members now eligible to vote as a result of attending this meeting, see the TPCH Voting Member Roster linked below.

TPCH Voting Member Roster as of February 22, 2023

If you believe your voting privileges are not accurately reported here, please email tpch@tucsonaz.gov.

TPCH General Council Meets February 9, 2023

TPCH Quarterly Membership Meeting

Thursday, February 9

12:30pm-5:00pm

In Person @ Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, 5049 E Broadway

Join us for the quarterly General Council meeting of the TPCH membership on Thursday, February 9, 2023. This meeting will be held in person, and pre-registration is required.

For a list of members eligible to vote in this meeting, see the TPCH Voting Member Roster linked below.

Click here to register for the General Council Meeting.

After registering, the CoC Lead Team will email you a confirmation. Please note that the meeting will be 12:30pm - 2:30pm, followed by additional training opportunities 2:45pm - 5:00pm. The meeting confirmation you receive will include the entire time of 12:30pm - 5:00pm.

Updated February 1, 2023: GENERAL COUNCIL TRAINING SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

2:45-3:45 PM - Your Choice of:

Fair Housing Law
Understanding the TPCH Move-On Strategy
Equity Part I: Laying the Foundation

4:00-5:00 PM - Your Choice of:

Coordinated Entry
Local Domestic Violence Services
Equity Part II: Continuing the Conversation

Summary Meeting Agenda

Roll Call and Consent Agenda

Jocelyn Muzzin, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

Community Celebrations

Jocelyn Muzzin, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

TPCH Updates

Cindy McClain, Continuum of Care Lead Agency (City of Tucson)

Budget Updates

Cindy McClain, Continuum of Care Lead Agency (City of Tucson)

Motion to Update TPCH Governance Charter

Jocelyn Muzzin, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

Motion to Update TPCH Written Standards

Jocelyn Muzzin, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

Committee and Coalition Updates

Committee and Coalition Representatives

New Business/Announcements

Group Discussion

Download the Meeting Materials:

TPCH General Council Meeting Draft Agenda (February 9, 2023)

TPCH Voting Member Roster as of February 9, 2023

TPCH General Council Meeting Minutes (November 10, 2022)

TPCH Continuum of Care Board Recommended Changes to TPCH Governing Charter

TPCH Continuum of Care Board Recommended Changes to TPCH Written Standards

TPCH Homeless Youth Coalition to host Part II of three-part Foster Care Training Series

The Homeless Youth Coalition of TPCH is hosting a three-part training series on Foster Care. Part II, Foster Care and the Education System, will take place at the Goodwill Metro Re-engagement Center (REC) on Thursday, February 2, 2023 from 3-4:30pm.

This training will be in person, and thus registration is required. Register here, or download the flier below for a QR code and parking instructions.

Click here to download the flier.