Old Pueblo Community Services

Reentry Program: Approximately 13,000 prisoners are released every year in Arizona, 2,000 of these former inmates will return to Pima County. These individuals face a range of challenges including housing, substance abuse, mental illness, and difficulty in finding employment. The goal of Old Pueblo's Reentry Program is to help these men and woman reintegrate successfully into our community to prevent recidivism. We offer them housing, counseling, substance abuse treatment, employment assistance and other support services. Last fiscal year our program served 200 individuals, representing 10% of the total reentry population in our county. At exit, approximately 21% had an income 26% achieved housing stability. This program is funded primarily by government grants and contract. OPCS Home Fund helps cover the occupancy cost for individuals not eligible for government support.

Supportive Housing Program: This program aims to end homelessness by providing long-term homeless individuals with dignified, supportive housing, without barriers such as pets, partners or active addictions, so they are no longer living on the streets or in shelters. People experiencing long-term homelessness have myriad vulnerabilities. Once housed, individuals can connect with health care providers and case managers, engage in support groups, establish routines, and build relationships with friends and family, and move on to more independent living, decreasing their need for services over time. Clients are screened to determine those with the highest level of need. These are the clients that are housed first. All clients have access to support services through OPCS, as well as with agency in the broader community.OPCS Home Fund: While some of OPCS government funded programs cover all or part of a client's housing fees, some clients do not meet the specific criteria to be eligible for these programs. The OPCS Community Home Fund helps pay for their occupancy cost until they gain income through employment, Social Security, or other sources. The fund pays for rental application fees and deposits for clients moving into Section 8 housing. It also covers specific, emergent needs to remove barriers to housing and employment. In addition, the fund helps meet the basic needs of families with children entering our programs. Last year, we disbursed $40,267 in assistance to clients. The Home Fund is made possible by community grants and individual donations via the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit.City of Tucson CARES Program (CoT Cares): OPCS was awarded a contract to operate the City of Tucson Cares Homeless Program, in partnership with Community Bridges International, Pima County Sullivan Jackson Employment Center, City of Tucson Housing and Development Department, Catholic Community Services, El Rio Healthcare, and Primavera Foundation. OPCS was the lead agency managing the operations of 200 hotel beds to keep homeless individuals at high risk for COVID-19 safe. In addition, participants were provided with case management and supportive services with the goal of transitioning them into permanent housing. A total of 731 individuals were served during a 14-month period. We are happy to report that 411 individuals in 293 households were able to find permanent, safe, and stable housing. Throughout the duration of the COT Cares program, we only had 11 individuals testing positive for COVID-19. OPCS was able to successfully prevent a COVID outbreak at the hotel by having safety protocols in place, ensuring clients were following our safety protocols, and working with community partners. Furthermore, we were able to refer our own high-risk shelter residents to the hotel, reducing our shelter programs to one person per bedroom. The COT Cares program has demonstrated how 'Housing First' practices can move persons from the streets into housing.Pima County Housing First Program (PCHF): Two years ago, OPCS launched this program in partnership with Pima County and the City of Tucson with the goal of reducing recidivism and homelessness among the justice-involved population. The program provides "bridge housing and permanent supportive housing to homeless individuals who have had several encounters with the criminal justice system. Individuals also receive appropriate social services support including substance abuse treatment, mental health services, and employment coaching. Participants are referred to program by the Pima County Jail, Public Defenders Office, and Adult Probation. To date, we assisted 352 people and successfully house 189 households. In addition, several participants have exited the program once they achieved income/employment stability. Without housing this would not have been possible. Further, PCHF has welcomed 8 newborns and several DCS-involved parents have successfully reunified with their children after obtaining housing and support services.