In this month’s newsletter, learn more about opportunities to advocate for local affordable housing investments, our eviction prevention work and emergency funding, the Plan Tucson workshop we had at our most recent Network meeting, and more!

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona's Financial Wellness Partnership envisions a community where every person and family is financially well - asking five questions:

• Can a household cover their basic needs?

• Do they have savings for emergencies, retirement, and education?

• Can they make informed financial decisions for themselves and their families by using financial skills?

• Can they pursue wealth-building opportunities such as homeownership, entrepreneurship, or further education?

• Do they have a voice in civic and community resource decisions, particularly funding and policies?

Much thanks to everyone who joined our Plan Tucson Community Workshop last month! More than 40 partners joined the conversation, contributing thoughtful feedback and ideas related to housing, neighborhoods, community safety, public health, economic development, transportation, and policy/governance. For about three quarters of the group, the workshop marked their first time providing input in a City of Tucson engagement session. Next steps for Plan Tucson will be analyzing all comments in conjunction with others collected over the past few months for key themes and starting to draft large-scale policies and goals for work groups. They intend to have a preliminary draft of Plan Tucson in Summer 2024, submit to the Mayor & Council after that, and put the plan up for approval via special election in 2025. You can stay updated about the project through the Plan Tucson webpage and connect to plantucson@tucsonaz.gov if you're interested in participating in a work group for a specific topical area.

At our April Eviction Prevention Case Management meeting, we were joined by staff from Casa De Los Niños and CODAC to learn more about the mental and behavioral health supports for families and individuals in our community. Services mentioned included Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT), recovery support specialist services and certifications, housing, case aid services, child therapy, and autism supports. The group reflected on the accessibility of these resources and share out experiences they have working with these organizations. Our Basecamp is still growing and being updated regularly with events, resources, and meeting notes and materials - in the past month, we used this list to distribute menstrual product donations and communicate about new flexible funds in the community. If you are interested in learning more or in gaining access to the Basecamp, please contact Elizabeth Miller with any questions.

Our Public Policy group meets monthly to stay updated about policy happenings related to financial wellness and learn about legislative processes together. In May, our group finalized a draft policy related to Children's Savings Accounts to share with the Prosperity Initiative and looks forward to continuing to support future projects in that area. The group also discussed new efforts to support mobile home park residents, predatory lending and down payment assistance legislation, and opportunities to advocate for more affordable housing funding (see below for suggestions of how to get involved!).

The Financial Empowerment Collaborative (FEC) is a group of 20 organizations focused on elevating the quality and reach of financial education, coaching, and literacy programs in Southern Arizona. By identifying barriers and disparities, learning together, and sharing tools and resources, the group commits to centering equity and improving financial wellness outcomes for those in programs and across the community.

At our April meeting, the FEC debriefed the UA presentation from March and discussed how powerful it is that the University is investing time and resources into researching the topics we work on every day – and that their research findings match much of our own anecdotal and program-level experiences. To recap Financial Capability Month, we also reviewed findings from a brief survey that United Way had embedded in their resource email. Group members felt that the findings reflected and validated their own experiences with programs and individuals – especially the limited awareness of local resources, how people would like to receive information, and which topics they’re most interested in. Moving forward, the group plans to promote conversations about money - a great collective step to promoting financial empowerment in general and then offering our programs, classes, coaching, etc. as possible next steps for people that might be motivated after a conversation.

Eviction Prevention Updates: May 2023

Prevention services and systems - stepping in before a family faces crisis and offering the time and support to start rebuilding stability - are key to addressing the health and housing challenges facing many of Southern Arizona’s most vulnerable households. In addition to emergency assistance funds and collective impact efforts, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona’s family eviction prevention efforts include longer-term housing and financial stability supports in partnership with the Siemer Institute for Family Stability. In 2022, these partners worked with 116 families - and 100% were able to avoid a disruptive move that would negatively impact family health and child connection to school. Additionally, 70% of families enrolled in services improved their housing stability, and 70% improved their income stability. 

Eviction Prevention Case Manager Profile

At our Case Manager Mixer in March, we were able to get to know some of our case managers a bit better. We are so grateful for the work they all do in the community, and we wanted to highlight who they are and what brought them to this work. We are kicking this new series off with Rae Vermeal (she / her) from Pima Council on Aging!

What drew you to your current job?

I've worked with older adults & people with disabilities for 30 years and it's my niche - it's where I love to be. And I love doing that at PCOA.

What do you like best about your job?

The people and the culture PCOA creates.

Where is your favorite place to take visitors in Tucson?

Saguaro West National Park and Sabino Canyon

What is your current favorite movie/book/tv show/album?

The Rookie

Anything else you want to share with us?

I love cats!!

Announcement! VITA Extended Season

Did you know that each year, households in Pima County that are eligible for the Earned Income Credit (EIC) don't file by the April deadline? To continue serving this important and underserved group of taxpayers, our VITA program has agreed to partner with the IRS to continue to serve taxpayers in what we are calling the "extended filing season." Starting in May, we will be accepting new taxpayers through our GetYourRefund.org virtual tax preparation service. This is also an opportunity for us to recruit and train new volunteers that might have more time over the summer to dedicate to VITA tax training. Of course, all our returning volunteers are welcome to sign up too! Please submit a ticket via the Volunteer Support Portal if you have any questions or click here to sign up to volunteer!

United Way Tucson Financial Wellness Resource List: Find programmatic and 1:1 opportunities for financial coaching/education, tax assistance, workforce development, and more on this list developed by United Way of Tucson and Southern AZ partners. You can share this list with others and access via the United Way website through our Financial Wellness Community Resources page. If you are involved with a program, service, or other resource supporting financial wellness in Southern Arizona, we would love to add you to the list. If you are already on our list, we would love for you to review your entry and make sure it is up to date. Want to add or update your program's entry? Use this form.

Youth on the Rise Re-Engagement App: A new resource guide to help youth 16-24 navigate services, resources, and systems in Pima County.

Additional Information

HCD Home Owner Rehab Programs - HCD home owner rehabilitation programs are seeking applicants to their programs! There are fact sheets for each program and people can apply for each program directly using this link.

What Tenants Need to Know During COVID-19 – Robust list including rental assistance, eviction protection/moratorium, and legal assistance resources compiled by Pima County.

How Can Rent Reporting Benefit Your Credit? - Rent reporting can help renters build credit without having to take on any debt. Learn more at the link!

FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance: To help ease the financial stress caused by the virus, FEMA is helping pay for COVID-19- related funeral expenses. Individuals can receive up to $9,000. To start an application, individuals must first call the FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Helpline: 844-684-6333. Multiple languages are available. The phone line is open Monday-Friday, 9am-9pm E.T.

TucsonEvictionHelp.org: This tool from TPCH can help individuals and families check their eligibility for homelessness prevention funds, which may be available in certain situations - such as when a family is paying to stay at a hotel but running out of funds, or being forced to leave a housing situation where they are doubled up.

Arizona Homeowner Assistance Fund: The HAF program provides help for homeowners who have experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19 after January 21st, 2020. Homeowners can use HAF funds for the purpose of preventing the following: homeowner mortgage delinquencies, homeowner mortgage defaults, homeowner mortgage foreclosures, homeowner loss of utilities or home energy services, and displacements of homeowners experiencing financial hardship.

Health Benefits: AHCCCS is taking steps to ensure that all eligible Arizonans can stay covered as the federal government ends the national public health emergency. Visit the AHCCCS page to check steps that can ensure members do not experience gaps in coverage.

SingleCare Affordable Prescriptions: United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona partners with SingleCare to provide community members with access to affordable prescription medications. The SingleCare prescription savings card is always free to use by everyone and has no registration or eligibility requirements - it can be used right away. Once signed up, a member just needs to show the savings card to their pharmacist when they fill a prescription at a participating pharmacy. The discount will be automatically applied at checkout.

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)- The ACP is an FCC benefit (formerly Emergency Broadband Benefit) that helps ensure households can afford the broadband they require for work, healthcare and to stay connected. The ACP provides eligible low-income households a credit up to $30 a month toward the cost of Internet service ($75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands). Participants in the program can apply the ACP credit toward the cost of participating plans from a variety of Internet service providers, as well as mobile services.

• Locally, Comcast is one participating provider. Households that choose plans that cost $30/month or less will essentially receive their service for free - learn more about Comcast's program here. 

Pima County Housing Search - Searchable database of affordable rental housing, supported by Pima County

AZ Eviction Help - Information about eviction processes, tenant rights, and resources for rental assistance, utility assistance, legal assistance compiled by the Arizona Bar Association

Order Free COVID-19 Tests: Go to COVIDTests.gov, to order four tests per household. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days and will begin shipping later this month.

COVID-19 Vaccination Sites - Accessibility and Accommodation Resources for People with Disabilities: Information from the Arizona Center for Disability Law

AZDHS COVID-19 Website – Latest updates, closure and re-opening announcements, and data dashboard