Community members and advocates met Saturday at Freedom Park to help bring much needed resources and support to those facing homelessness.
According to the City of Tucson, 2,209 people in 1,666 households were facing some level of homelessness in Pima County during January of 2023. Those numbers had risen 60% from the last survey completed in 2018.
In June, the City of Tucson Housing and Community Development received $2.7 million in state funds to address un-sheltered homelessness and services.
Local organizations and community advocates are coming together to ensure those without stable homes have their basic needs met. One of these people is Jean Lopez, a member of the Tucson Christian Fellowship.
“People have got the wrong idea about homeless people. There’s all kinds of walks of life out there. There was one young lady, her phone was dying and she said ‘I don’t know where to go to charge it up because I’m waiting for a call about a job’. So it’s hard,” Lopez shared.
Today, she and others worked to ensure essential needs, like access to water and bathrooms, were available to those in vulnerable living situations.