TPCH General Council Meets February 13, 2025

Join us for the quarterly General Council meeting of the TPCH membership.  This meeting will be held in person at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, located at 5049 E Broadway.

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

Please note that the meeting will be 12:30pm – 2:30pm, followed by additional training opportunities 2:45pm – 4:15pm.

Summary Meeting Agenda

Roll Call and Consent Agenda

Shannon Fowler, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

Community Celebrations

Shannon Fowler, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

CoC Lead Updates

Kat Davis, Continuum of Care Lead Agency (City of Tucson)

HMIS Lead Updates

Cheryl Lopez, HMIS Lead Agency (Pima County)

CoC Board Updates

Shannon Fowler, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

Housing Central Command Updates

Housing Central Command Leadership

Update to Attendance Policies in TPCH Charter

Shannon Fowler, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

Committee and Coalition Updates

Committee and Coalition Representatives

New Business/Announcements

Group Discussion

Breakout Session Options

Increasing Income

TPCH Continuum of Care Program Grant Committee

Strategic Planning

Kat Davis and Kyle Kerns, CoC Lead Agency (City of Tucson)

Conference Learnings: Shared Housing

Elaine MacPherson, CoC Lead Agency (City of Tucson)

 

Download the Meeting Materials:

2.13.2025 TPCH General Council Meeting Agenda

11.21.2024 General Council Meeting Minutes - Draft

TPCH Voting Member Roster - 2.13.2025

Proposed Amendment to TPCH Governance Charter - Attendance Policies

TPCH Releases 2024 System Gaps Analysis

 
 

This report paints a bleak picture and sends a clear signal that there is an urgent need to improve our local capacity to prevent homelessness. The structural drivers of housing insecurity, including home values, rent prices, and poverty, all remain elevated in Pima County. Elevated housing insecurity is driving increased inflow into homelessness, visible in the 59% increase in the number of unique households seeking homelessness-related services (by completing a coordinated entry assessment) between 2021 and 2023. The capacity of our local system (beds/units) has not increased over this time frame and the proportion of newly inflowing households served in any project type decreased from 39% in FY2021 to 28% in FY2023. This means that in FY2023 72% of households completing an assessment and seeking assistance were not served in any project type (meaning that nothing happened as a result of their engagement with the system). This is a portrait of an overburdened system increasingly struggling to keep pace with rising need. Since 2021 there has been a steady increase in the number of people on our By-Name List considered “actively homeless” and these increases have continued through 2024. We not yet observed any slowing of inflow into homelessness and there is increasing visibility of unsheltered homelessness in our community.

Looking ahead, TPCH’s 2024 Housing Inventory Count report registered decreases in beds/units across all project types, especially Permanent Supportive Housing units, indicating reduced local capacity to meet these challenges. Recent election results have decreased the likelihood of infusions of funds from the federal or state government to address the drivers of the housing crisis or to mitigate current levels of homelessness. While there are multiple serious city and county level efforts currently being implemented to address the shortage of affordable housing, these efforts will take years to substantially impact the local housing stock. These unique circumstances and the increasing prevalence of homelessness indicate an urgent need for more resources directed towards homelessness prevention to reduce the current and ongoing magnitude of inflow into homelessness.

There is motion locally on many of the elements needed to implement a coordinated local/regional approach to homelessness prevention. Substantial reductions in both homelessness and poverty are achievable, and there is a rich evidence base providing guidance as to how to get there efficiently. Building, and sufficiently resourcing, a community approach to homelessness prevention has the potential to reduce ongoing overwhelm of our homelessness response system, reduce harm among households who avoid an experience of homelessness, and better position our community to weather future challenges (e.g. the next recession, financial disruption, or a resurgence of inflation) to housing stability among our most vulnerable community members.

Read the full report here:

TPCH General Council Meets November 21, 2024

Join us for the quarterly General Council meeting of the TPCH membership.  This meeting will be held in person at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, located at 5049 E Broadway.

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

Please note that the meeting will be 12:30pm – 2:30pm, followed by additional training opportunities 2:45pm – 4:15pm.

Summary Meeting Agenda

Roll Call and Consent Agenda

Shannon Fowler, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

Community Celebrations

Shannon Fowler, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

CoC Lead Updates

Kat Davis, Continuum of Care Lead Agency (City of Tucson)

CoC Board Updates

Shannon Fowler, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

Housing Central Command Updates

Housing Central Command Leadership

Youth Homelessness System Improvement (YHSI) Grant Update and Governance Amendment Motion

Kyle Kerns, Continuum of Care Lead Agency (City of Tucson)

Committee and Coalition Updates

Committee and Coalition Representatives

New Business/Announcements

Group Discussion

Breakout Session Options

Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) Provider Session: Youth Engagement

TPCH Continuum of Care Program Grant Committee

Safety Planning

Arizona Center to End Sexual & Domestic Violence

Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) Housing and Health Opportunities (H2O) Information Session

TJ Reed, Solari Inc.

 

Download the Meeting Materials:

11.21.2024 TPCH General Council Meeting Agenda

8.8.2024 General Council Meeting Minutes - Draft

TPCH Voting Member Roster - 11.21.2024

Proposed Amendment to TPCH Governance Charter - Youth Action Committee/Youth Homelessness System Improvement

Volunteers, Donations, Services Needed for Hope In The Park, a resource fair for unsheltered individuals and families

 
 
 
The City of Tucson and Tucson Homeless Connect will hold Hope in the Park, a day-long resource fair which will provide various resources for unsheltered individuals and families. Hope in the Park will be held at Rudy Garcia Park, 5001 S. Nogales Highway, southeast corner with Irvington Road, Friday Oct. 11 from 9 AM to 2 PM.

This event will help individuals obtain services in health screening, behavioral health, VA benefits, food, shelter/housing, legal assistance, clothing, haircuts, animal care, and more. Volunteers, donations and services are needed.

The event is sponsored by the non-profit support group Tucson Homeless Connect, and the City of Tucson's Multi-Disciplinary Outreach Team (MDOT), a program of Housing and Community Development (HCD), and Parks and Recreation Department. The mission of Tucson Homeless Connect is to provide a single location where local agencies, government, businesses, medical providers and the faith community collaborate to help the homeless persons with basic needs, referrals and advocacy.

“Tucson Homeless Connect is more than just an event – it's a lifeline for those in need. It brings our community together to offer essential services, compassion, and hope to our most vulnerable neighbors, demonstrating that when we unite, we can make a real difference in the fight against homelessness,” said Thelma Magallanes, MDOT project coordinator.

To ensure a successful resource fair, service providers, donations and volunteers are greatly needed.

Potential donations include bicycles, solar cell phone charging stations, gift cards, tents, sleeping bags, and money. Service providers are needed to offer their agencies’ services to the unsheltered community.

Homeless Connect and MDOT are seeking 300 volunteers for a range of tasks: setup from 7-8:30 AM, registration and guides from 8 AM to 1 PM, general work from 9 AM to 2 PM, and cleanup from 1-3 PM. Volunteers can sign up here: http://www.tucsonhomelessconnect.org/volunteer.html

Event organizers are expecting more than 300 individuals, including veterans, people living on the street, youths and families with children

"Tucson Homeless Connect is a one-stop shop. Volunteers will guide our visitors throughout the resource fair and are an essential part of the event," said Robert Wild, a community safety navigator for HCD’s Housing First Program.

Tucson Homeless Connect is a non-profit 501c3. Tax-deductible donations may be mailed to: Tucson Homeless Connect, C/O Britni Hall, 8340 E Vicksburg St., Tucson, AZ 85710 or go to this site: Donate - Tucson Homeless Connect

For more information contact Britni Hall at Tucsonhomelessconnectcharity@gmail.com

City of Tucson Calls for Input and Public Comment on People, Communities, and Homes Investment Plan (P-CHIP)

A draft of the City of Tucson’s Department of Housing and Community Development’s (HCD) “People, Communities, and Homes Investment Plan,” or P-CHIP, has been released and HCD is seeking input from the Tucson community. This is the second edition of P-CHIP, and it will serve as a guiding document for HCD’s strategic five-year priorities and goals, as well as providing the framework for HCD’s community grantmaking activities.

The City of Tucson has advanced many of the priorities identified in the first P-CHIP prepared in 2020, for example:

The draft P-CHIP plan articulates HCD’s approach to addressing these challenges through the HCD’s direct work, community grantmaking, and collaboration with other City departments, neighboring jurisdictions, community-based organizations, and the Tucson community. A critical step towards equitable opportunity is providing safe, quality, affordable homes. Additionally, this path encompasses more than just housing – it extends to the essential services that people need to thrive and live in our communities that support us collectively.

We need your input on the draft plan!

Read the draft plan and take the survey to tell us if we missed something, if you have any questions, or other comments. You can provide comments for as few or as many sections of the plan as you would like. Find the draft plan and feedback survey here.

In addition to the draft plan, HCD will hold a virtual community meeting to give the public an opportunity to comment. The session will be held, Tuesday, September 17th, 5:30-6:30 PM. Register for the event here.

The survey will remain open for public comment until Tuesday, September 24th. After reviewing community feedback, HCD will update the plan and submit a final draft to Mayor and Council for approval later this year.

Need help completing the survey or want to receive a paper copy? Call 520-837-5025 or send an email to Ernesto.Portillo@tucsonaz.gov. 

TPCH has spent all available Prevention and Rapid Resolution Funds

Thank you to all case managers that helped apply for and distribute the TPCH Prevention and Rapid Resolution Funds through the community! 

We spent all of our original $400,000 back in June, and have now spent the additional $200,000 that was dedicated to the program. With this, we do not have any more funding to continue this program. Case managers are encouraged to continue working with clients to determine alternative sources of funding and assistance.

Thank you once again for your assistance with getting these funds to the community.

TPCH General Council Meets August 8, 2024

Join us for the quarterly General Council meeting of the TPCH membership.  This meeting will be held in person at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, located at 5049 E Broadway.

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

Please note that the meeting will be 12:30pm – 2:30pm, followed by additional training opportunities 2:45pm – 4:15pm.

Summary Meeting Agenda

Roll Call and Consent Agenda

Shannon Fowler, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

Community Celebrations

Shannon Fowler, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

CoC Lead Updates

Elaine MacPherson, Continuum of Care Lead Agency (City of Tucson)

Board Updates

Shannon Fowler, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

Housing Central Command Updates

Housing Central Command Leadership

HUD Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Elaine MacPherson, Continuum of Care Lead Agency (City of Tucson)

Committee and Coalition Updates

Committee and Coalition Representatives

New Business/Announcements

Group Discussion

Shannon Fowler, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

Shannon Fowler, Continuum of Care Board Chairperson

Committee and Coalition Representatives

Group Discussion

 

Download the Meeting Materials:

8.8.2024_TPCH General Council Meeting Agenda

TPCH Voting Member Roster_8.8.2024

GENERAL COUNCIL_MIN_5.9.2024_Draft

TPCH Announces Continuum of Care Board and Committee Seats

On June 28, 2024, the United States Supreme Court ruled that people sleeping outside could be ticketed and after multiple tickets, jailed for thirty (30) days. The Court stated that these penalties were neither cruel or unusual because they didn’t inflict terror or pain and were not unusual to the city’s other punishments. See City of Grants Pass, Or. v. Johnson, 603 U.S. 1 (2024). The Court also stated, “Under the city’s laws, it makes no difference whether the charged defendant is homeless, a backpacker on vacation passing through town, or a student who abandons his dorm room to camp out in protest on the lawn of a municipal building.” Id.

The Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness disagrees wholeheartedly with this ruling. Our unhoused neighbors will be disproportionately affected by laws that could inflict similar punishments. As Justice Sotomayor states in her dissent, “Homelessness in America is a complex and heartbreaking crisis. People experiencing homelessness face immense challenges….” See Sotomayor dissent, Grants Pass. The ideology behind these laws is to exclude people from our community based on their unhoused status. Barriers created by fines and potential warrants will make it extremely harder to become housed. Our Continuum has focused its effort and housing first and services for the whole person. We do not seek to further punish those who are experiencing houselessness by a creation of barriers that will not deter folks from sleeping outside.

 

Click here for more info on how to address homelessness without criminalization

TPCH Announces Continuum of Care Board and Committee Seats

The TPCH 2024 Continuum of Care Election Process Has Concluded 

Newly seated members will begin terms July 1, 2024

Through participation from Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness General Council members, members of the CoC governing board and five committees are now seated. TPCH welcomes the perspectives and expertise of our new board and committee members in our mission to prevent and end homelessness in Tucson and Pima County.

Continuum of Care Board

The CoC Board serves as the primary decision-making body for TPCH.  The CoC Board acts on behalf of the TPCH General Council in setting policy and governing oversight for our coalition. Board Members participate in monthly CoC Board Meetings and to contribute time and effort to CoC activities throughout the year. Board members are elected by the TPCH General Council.

Board members abide by the CoC Board Member Job Description, TPCH Code of Conduct, and TPCH Conflict of Interest Policy

Newly seated members of the Continuum of Care Board include: 

2024 Members of the CoC Board:

Alyzdee Molina, AZ Department of Economic Security

Brandi Champion, City of Tucson

Sarah Meggison, City of Tucson

Yvette Gonzales, Pima County

Magali Lopez, Pima County

Danell Jessup, Primavera Foundation

Darius Miles, Youth Action Committee

Mike Edmonds, Community Advocate

Jocelyn Muzzin, Southern Arizona Veterans Health Care System

Colleen McDonald, Our Family Services

Shannon Fowler, University of Arizona SIROW

Taylor Miranda, Connections Health Solutions - Crisis Response Center

Daniel Kuhlman, University of Arizona

Maria Wildey, Community Bridges, Inc.

Lisa Floran, United Way

Anna Santa Cruz, DKA (Dorthy Kret & Associate)

Ana Lucero, Youth on Their Own

Bernadette Unterbrink, Community Bridges, Inc.

Rev. Ellie Hutchison, Arizona Faith Network Southern Arizona

Paula Dwornicki, Primavera Foundation

 

2024 Members of TPCH Governing Committees:

 

Download a full description of the committees here

 

Homeless Management Information System (HMIS):

Tia Nichols, Sister Jose Women’s Center

Cindy McClain, Compass Affordable Housing

Elisa Gomez-Garica, Community Bridges, Inc.

Maureen Freeman, Interfaith Community Services

Mike Edmonds, Community Advocate

Elise Gomez-Garcia, Pima County

Kristina Abril, Primavera Foundation

 

Coordinated Entry Committee: 

Jocelyn Muzzin, Southern Arizona VA Health Care System

Karina Islas, Pima County

Tammy Byrnes, Our Family Services

Cat Polston, City of Tucson

Danell Jessup, Primavera Foundation

Anna Billings, Old Pueblo Community Services

Zach Simmons, University of Arizona SIROW

 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Tia Nichols, Sister Jose Women’s Center

Rev. Ellie Hutchison, Arizona Faith Network Southern Arizona

Margaret Palmer, Arizona Pet Project

Anna Lucero, Youth on Their Own

Cat Polston, City of Tucson

Stephanie Santiago, Community Advocate

Alfonso Lopez, Veteran Affairs

Leo Effendi, Direct Center for Independence

Lee Barnhill, Community Advocate

Cristina Hernandez, City of Tucson

Ana Lucero, Youth on Their Own

 

Continuum of Care Program Grant 

 Yvette Gonzales, Pima County
Bernadette Unterbrink, Community Bridges Inc.

Randi Arnett, Primavera Foundation

Charles Dunn, St. Francis

Anna Santa-Cruz, DKA (Dorthy Kret & Associate)

Victor Bueno, Department of Economic Security
Lisa Floran, United Way

 

System Performance Evaluation

 
Amaris Vasquez, City of Tucson & Pima County
Paula Dwornicki, Primavera Foundation

Michael Macrie-Shuck, Primavera Foundation

Ellie Millyard, City of Tucson

Colleen McDonald, Our Family Services

Keith Bentele, UA SIROW

Louisa Osborn, Compass Affordable Housing

Congratulations to all those joining in the work to prevent and end homelessness in Pima County!  All Board and committee members are expected to abide by the TPCH Code of Conduct and TPCH Conflict of Interest Policy.

Happy Pride Month from the TPCH; free LGBTQ+ Affirm Workshops Available for Youth and Caregivers

 

Image reads: Housing is PRIDE. LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming people are more likely to experience housing instability, housing discrimination, and homelessness. In fact, LGBTQ+ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than non-LGBTQ youth.
Photo Credit: https://nationalhomeless.org/lgbtq-homelessness/

The Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness wishes a Happy Pride Month to all community members of all identities.

Housing is Pride. With the incidence of homelessness higher for those in the LGBTQIA+ community proportionate to their share of the population, the Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness is committed to achieving equity in the mission to prevent and end homelessness in Pima County.

Major areas of focus in the 2020-2025 In TPCH Community Plan include evaluating and addressing disparity in access to and use of temporary housing services among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, LGBTQ+ people, and non-citizens, as well as evaluating discharge from shelter and supportive housing programs disparately impacting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; LGBTQ+ people, and non-citizens. Learn more about the work TPCH is doing here to face these challenges in our community. 

For LGBTQIA+ Youth and their caregivers, the Family Pride Initiative is hosting a series of workshops to learn and foster positive coping skills, feel affirmed and foster gender affirming practices, and promote the safety and well-being of LGBTQIA+ youth overall. Learn more at the flyer, embedded below for download.