Ending Youth Homelessness in Tucson/Pima County

Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness (TPCH) is on a mission to prevent and end youth homelessness in Pima County. To accomplish this, we are working to elevate youth power in choice in decision-making at the individual, organizational, and system level. We invite you to join us by emailing youth@tpch.net.

TPCH was selected to participate in two national initiatives to address youth homelessness in 2019. These include HUD’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) through which the Tucson/Pima County Continuum of Care was awarded $4.558 million to accelerate community efforts to prevent and end youth homelessness and the A Way Home America Grand Challenge through which we will partner with Federal technical assistance providers and nine other communities across the nation to end homelessness among youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth by 2022.

OUR VISION

We envision communities and systems throughout Tucson/Pima County in which the causes of youth homelessness are disrupted and its solutions are permanent. This requires radical systems change built on intersectional equity and youth power. In these systems, young people drive individual housing solutions and hold equal power at all levels of community decision-making.

These principles form the foundation of our work to prevent and end youth homelessness. They are infused throughout the YHDP and Grand Challenge initiatives.

  • Housing, education, employment, health, and social outcomes
  • Focus on vulnerable populations
  • Racial equity and LGBTQ+ inclusivity
  • Family engagement
  • Housing First
  • Positive Youth Development and Trauma-Informed Care
  • Youth Choice
  • Individualized youth-driven support
  • Social and community integration
  • Coordinated Entry improvements

Goal 1 – Youth Voice and Action: To engage youth in leading and implementing strategies to address youth homelessness.

Goal 2 – Housing: To improve housing permanency and decrease repeat homelessness among youth.

Goal 3 – Youth Opportunity: To increase educational engagement and income generation among youth experiencing homelessness.

Goal 4 – Health: To increase access to and use of medical, behavioral, dental, and social/emotional well-being resources.

Goal 5 – Homelessness Prevention: To better identify and immediately assist youth at risk of experiencing homelessness.

Goal 6 – Data and Coordinated Entry: To leverage data and coordinated entry as tools for ending youth homelessness.

Goal 7 – Equity: To ensure that youth experience equitable access and opportunities for success within the local youth homelessness response system.

More than 150 community members representing a wide variety of housing, employment, education, health, behavioral health, legal, and young people impacted by homelessness and housing instability came together between November 2019 and March 2020 to develop a comprehensive and coordinated community plan to prevent and end youth homelessness.

Read the full plan here.

Read the 2021 update to the plan here.

The Youth Action Committee (YAC) is a collective of youth leaders, age 24 and younger, who have current or past experience of homelessness or housing instability. YAC members play a critical role in guiding the implementation of the Coordinated Community Plan, continuous quality improvement strategies, and are decision makers on YHDP funding and planning priorities.

Click here to learn more about the TPCH Youth Action Committee.

(If you or someone you know may be interested in applying to YAC, please contact youth@tpch.net).

The YHDP initiative is a collaborative community effort. Thank you to our incredible community partners for their work to develop and advance our Coordinated Community Plan to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness.

Amphitheater School District

Arizona Children’s Association

Arizona Complete Health

Arizona Department of Child Safety

Arizona Department of Education

Arizona Housing Coalition

Arizona Serve

Arizona Youth Partnership

Child-Parent Centers

City High School

City of Tucson

El Rio Health Centers

Goodwill of Southern Arizona

Indian Oasis School District

Stand Up for Kids Tucson

Step Up to Justice

Tucson Preparatory School

Tucson Unified School District

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona

University of Arizona

Youth On Their Own

Juvenile Justice Coalition

Las Artes

Marana Health Center

Marana Unified School District

Old Pueblo Community Services

Our Family Services

Pima Community College

Pima County

Pima County JTED

Pima County Public Library

Pima Prevention Partnership

Pima County Juvenile Court Center

PPEP Integrated Care

Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation

TUCSON/PIMA YOUTH HOMELESSNESS DEMONSTRATION PROJECT GRANTEES

TPCH is excited to announce the selection of six new housing and supportive service projects funded through the Tucson/Pima Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project. Totaling more than $4.1M over two years, these projects will dramatically increase the availability of housing and services for young people experiencing homelessness with a focus on improving racial equity, LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and coordination between education, juvenile justice, workforce, health/behavioral health, and other community systems impacting youth in our community. These projects will launch in the Fall/Winter of 2020.

GOODWILL METRO/REC REENGAGEMENT PROJECT 

Organization: Goodwill of Southern Arizona

Grant Amount: $295,398

Description: Goodwill METRO/REC will pair peer outreach and advocacy delivered by young people with lived experience of homelessness with comprehensive educational and employment support services to improve opportunity for young people through educational advancement and professional employment.  Services include high school/GED and college enrollment and completion assistance, employment readiness, job training, and connections to employment.

YOUTH CARE NAVIGATION & DIVERSION PROJECT

Organizations: Our Family Services and University of Arizona Southwest Institute for Research on Women (SIROW)

Grant Amount: $658,272

Description: Youth Care will provide housing and service navigation support by linking young people to crisis and long-term housing options, mainstream benefits, and other community services. The project will also provide flexible funding to assist youth to rapidly resolve experiences of homelessness through family re-engagement, host homes, and other strategies.

BREAD AND ROSES CRISIS TRANSITIONAL HOUSING

Organizations: Old Pueblo Community Services (OPCS) and Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF). 

Grant Amount: $864,000

Description: Bread and Roses will provide short-term transitional housing specially designed to center and respond to the unique needs of LGBTQ+ young adults. The project will provide a safe restorative environment to help young people heal from trauma and transition to family reunification, longer-term housing services, or self-sufficiency.

CBI YHDP RAPID REHOUSING PROJECT

Organizations: Community Bridges, Inc. 

Grant Amount: $819,492

Description: CBI YHDP Rapid Rehousing Project will provide up to 36 months of permanent housing support with an average length of stay of 12 months. Project services include rental assistance and comprehensive supportive services including behavioral health and substance abuse services, case management, education and employment linkage, case management and wraparound support for young people experiencing homelessness.

NEW HOPE RAPID REHOUSING PROJECT

Organizations: Our Family Services

Grant Amount: $966,509

Description: New Hope will provide permanent housing support for up to 36 months with an average length of stay of 12 months. Project services include rental assistance and comprehensive supportive services including life skills, education and employment linkages, counseling, case management, and wraparound support for single youth, young couples, and parenting young adults.

TRANSITIONS PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECT

Organizations: Community Partnership of Southern Arizona 

Grant Amount: $504,000

Description: Transitions Permanent Supportive Housing will provide non-time limited rental assistance and supportive services for young people with disabilities and compounding supportive service needs. The project includes housing, integrated health and behavioral healthcare, education and employment services, case management, and other services for young people with disabilities.

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