A job training program that provided free room and board for low-income students will end operations, and 11 meal sites for seniors will close after losing federal funding.
As cuts to federal programs have affected access to food and housing for some vulnerable Tucson residents, City Council members said during Tuesday’s meeting they are exploring ways to address gaps in services.
The council said it would help find housing for 10 students in the federally funded Job Corps program who are facing homelessness after the federal government announced the program would cease operations nationwide this summer.
The Fred G. Acosta Center has hosted the federally funded jobs program for Tucson-area youth age 16-24 since 1979. Along with job training in construction, health care and the transportation industry, the program provides room and board, giving it an essential role in creating stability for students in the program. There are 260 students currently enrolled in the program, city officials said Tuesday.
“It helps disrupt the cycles of poverty and violence,” Mayor Regina Romero said of the program. “Ending these services by ending federal funding is counterproductive to keeping our economy and families strong.”
The federal funding cuts to senior nutrition programs will result in the closing of community lunch sites at five City of Tucson Parks and Recreation locations in the coming weeks, Romero said in a Facebook post Tuesday. Catholic Community Services will close six meal sites in June after losing funding.
The city locations closing down are:
- El Pueblo Center – closing after lunch service on June 13
- Quincie Douglas Center – closing after lunch service on June 13
- Donna Liggins Center – closing after lunch service on June 27
- El Rio Neighborhood Center – closing after lunch service on June 27
- Fred Archer Center – closing after lunch service on June 27
Catholic Community Services locations that will no longer operate after June 13:
- El Pueblo Activity Senior Center
- Quincie Douglas Center
- Ellie Towne Community Center
- Saguaro Christian Church
- Casa de Esperanza (Green Valley)
- Ajo Community Center
“This is especially hard for seniors as we head into the summer when higher utility bills make it harder for people to afford groceries and medication,” Romero said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Romero said she would soon be meeting with the Pima Council on Aging’s leadership to discuss ways to mitigate the impact of the cuts.
Robert Ojeda, president and CEO of the council, said the group was helping seniors who lost services find nearby alternatives. Anyone worried about the precarity faced by older adults in Pima County should advocate for more sustainable funding for services, he said.
“PCOA understands the vital role congregate meal sites play in the lives of Pima County’s older adults. We are navigating funding challenges with the least possible disruption, ensuring that older adults continue to have access to nutritious meals and a supportive community,” Ojeda said.
The Pima Council on Aging has been the local nonprofit tasked with supporting local seniors in everything from fitness to financial planning for the past 58 years. The agency has also raised alarms that it would soon run out of the emergency funding it had for seniors facing housing instability.
At the state level, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes joined two dozen states in suing the federal government. The lawsuit claims changes to AmeriCorps funding that affect staffing at social service centers and food banks violate federal law.
Immigration enforcement concerns
Romero also discussed immigration enforcement during Tuesday’s meeting.
Immigration agents have used a tactic of asking judges to dismiss ongoing cases, which can make people vulnerable to arrest. In Phoenix, immigration authorities have used that tactic to arrest people leaving court in recent weeks.
That has put Tucson communities and attorneys on high alert. Court monitors have been stationed at local courtrooms. Plainclothes agents have been present at Tucson courts but no arrests have been made because a Tucson judge rejected immigration authorities’ efforts to dismiss immigrants’ cases, the Arizona Republic reported.
And last week, a Tucson resident in the Wakefield neighborhood on the south side of the city said immigration agents impersonated a utility worker when looking for a neighbor, the Arizona Daily Star reported.
Romero suggested that people impacted by these actions contact their members of congress or reach out to groups like the American Civil Liberties Union or Catholic Community Services.
“I would plead with our residents to continue to contact your congressional representatives to share your concerns with them,” Romero said.
Community response efforts
On top of steps local officials are taking to mitigate the impacts of immigration enforcement and the cuts to poverty-reduction programs, community groups in Tucson have stepped up their support efforts.
Coalición De Derechos Humanos have been organizing at the ground level to support immigrant communities. Their efforts include know-your-rights presentations, rapid response networks in case of immigration arrests and volunteer court monitors.
Mutual aid groups launched an effort in May called Agua Para el Pueblo to increase the number of publicly available water stations outside businesses and residences. The effort includes a guide for residents to set up their own water stations. Several mutual aid organizations also provide regular free food distribution.
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