Community Care Tucson was created to make sure unhoused neighbors were cared for during the pandemic — and the care continues today

In the peak of the pandemic, community came together — Tucson supported local restaurants when their doors were kept closed, local groups collected and donated face masks to essential workers, people wrote letters to residents of assisted-living facilities.

At the end of 2020, a group of youth rallied to make sure our unhoused neighbors weren’t forgotten in the chaos. Together, they created Community Care Tucson, a mutual-aid group that still exists six years later.

“They essentially wanted to ensure that during COVID, unhoused people would also have access to food and resources,” says Liz Casey, a Community Care Tucson member. “More than that, it was to ensure that people recognized that unhoused folks were also part of the community.”

Every Wednesday, Community Care Tucson gathers at Armory Park with a setup of hot food, snacks, water, reusable water bottles, ice, cooling towels, hygiene products, harm-reduction supplies, pet food, wound care and clothing. Some of the food and supplies are purchased by the volunteers themselves. Others come from community members, including physical items and monetary donations. 

Sometimes there’s a mobile pet clinic, bike repairs, haircuts and HIV and HCV testing. And at the end of every night, at least 150 plates of hot food are served by the group of volunteers.

Housing first and low-hanging fruit

Liz joined Community Care Tucson about a month after the group’s creation. She’s a social worker who has worked closely and intentionally with people who are unhoused, have serious mental illnesses and use drugs.

“I started realizing that the way systems were set up for people, especially people with severe needs, wasn’t working,” Liz says. “Then (Community Care Tucson) posted on their Instagram that they needed more people to come out and I had decided this was just as, if not more, helpful to go directly to people on the street to give them care and support and dignity and supplies that I really could not give my clients through the way the system is set up.”

Ally May joined Community Care Tucson in 2022. She’s worked with a sexual assault agency for the last five years and has seen first-hand the need for additional care.

“The worst scenario was that someone comes in and they’ve been brutally physically assaulted or sexually assaulted and we would try to get them shelter services. Maybe they’d have to show up Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 11 to get in, but it’s the middle of the night,” Ally says. “I realized this massive gap and this massive neglect and I found CCT on Instagram and I started joining them with distributions and it was incredibly eye-opening. I’ve learned a lot about Tucson as a community and unhoused folks. I feel like I’ve learned as much from them as they’ve learned from me.”

In a perfect world, everyone would have access to food, shelter and care. In a perfect world, Community Care Tucson wouldn’t be here at all.

“I think, based on what I’ve seen, too many services have too many strings attached and are not focused on reaching people where they’re at. That’s a huge issue,” Ally says.

There are a lot of restrictions and hurdles that can interfere with the efficacy of many programs — maybe you’re required to partake in certain activities to receive assistance. Maybe there’s a curfew at a shelter or a certain time frame to be present to get a bed. Maybe transportation is a barrier.

“Maybe (food pantries or soup kitchens) only serve food one Saturday a month or they serve food that you can’t make if you don’t have a kitchen,” Ally says. “Or they only serve at 1 p.m. but people don’t get out of their jobs until 5 or 6 p.m. and now they’ve missed any opportunity to stop by the food pantry.”

Ally mentions other programs that could require a drivers license or some sort of ID, maybe a social security number or proof of residency. If those items are stolen or lost, there are even more hurdles to try to replace them.

“Now you have to make an appointment but what if you don’t have a cell phone and can’t call anybody? It sort of trickles down and people give up because they get frustrated,” Ally says. “I don’t think a lot of people understand how hard it is to navigate the system. It’s not until you get in it or work for the government or a nonprofit that you see, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a nightmare.’”

Ally is a fan of the housing-first model, which helps meet people’s most basic needs with more autonomy, followed by continued support afterwards. But due to funding, waitlists and other barriers, the housing-first model isn’t something that’s readily available for everyone which leaves gaps in support.

“I think there’s a huge piece missing in providing a safety net and support systems for people who are chronically homeless or just aren’t going to get into housing any time soon,” Liz says. “Obviously, and understandably, there’s a huge focus on housing first. We have to get everyone into housing — yes, everyone should have a home! But there are people who are going to get evicted, who still have severe mental health issues, who still have severe drug issues and might not be able to function independently. Or there are people just on a waitlist.”

Community Care Tucson hears from community members about the need for more showers and restrooms, mobile or otherwise. The group looks to models in other parts of the country such as Massachusetts which also has mobile addiction services and needle disposal kiosks. 

“I think we can increase some of these services for people who are going to be on the street or are on waitlists,” Liz says. “We should focus on housing but also focus on what I think is low-hanging fruit.” 

Compassion and community

The work of Community Care Tucson comes with a lot of misconceptions about the neighbors they help.

“I think I’ve run into a lot of harmful rhetoric and ideals that all unhoused folks are violent and all unhoused folks are drug users,” Ally says. “From the time I’ve gotten to know people, they’re some of the kindest people I’ve ever met.”

“As cheesy as it sounds, it’s much more likely that somebody is going to get help if they have people who care about them and are persistently showing up for them and advocating for them. I think if you show you’re respecting people and show them humanity and dignity, they’re going to give you the same thing,” Liz says. “People help us pick up garbage. We have people who are formerly unhoused who come out to help us. It’s showing people that they are part of the community and neighborhood that makes them feel like they are part of the community and neighborhood. We can’t force people to have the life that we want for them, but by showing people dignity and humanity, I think that really helps them care about themselves and the people and areas around them.”

Both Liz and Ally hope Tucson can be more open-minded and compassionate toward the people who might be stuck in adverse cycles. 

“People don’t realize how easy it is to become unhoused. All it takes is a missing paycheck and now you have an eviction notice,” Ally says. “I think the most heartbreaking thing is — I will have people genuinely on the brink of tears saying, ‘Thank you for coming out.’ And it breaks my heart and it makes me cry sometimes because I am giving something that’s so basic. I’m not giving anything crazy, I’m just giving a meal. It makes me feel like — you must have been so discarded and neglected by the community that me giving you such as basic necessity means so much to you.”

Ultimately, Community Care Tucson is trying to build a community. They’re trying to build safety nets. They’re trying to build the things they wish existed.

It’s more than giving free food to people. It’s solidarity, not charity. It’s a project with constant conversations to understand the gaps, to understand the need — and to truly care for people along the way. 

“We’re always trying to grow and see what we can create ourselves so we know we can take care of our neighbors if that support from other systems is not there,” Liz says.

❤️ Want to help? Donate financially here. Become a volunteer. You can also donate items — from food to hygiene products to clothes to water bottles to blankets. For more information, visit their Instagram or send an email to communitycaretucson520@gmail.com. ❤️