In partnership with the City of Tucson’s Mayor and Council, CFSA is pleased to announce the first round of We Are One | Somos Uno CARES Act Nonprofit Continuity Grant recipients. In this first round, thirteen organizations were awarded $233,725 in CARES Act funding to support the continued provision of essential services to vulnerable members of the Tucson community during the pandemic.
We Are One | Somos Uno Nonprofit Continuity Grant Recipients
- Arizona Justice for Our Neighbors
- BICAS
- Casa de los Niños
- Clinica Amistad
- Community Home Repair Projects of Arizona
- Intermountain Centers for Human Development
- International Rescue Committee
- Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona
- More Than a Bed
- Parents Aid Child Abuse Prevention Center
- Planned Parenthood Arizona, Inc.
- The Dunbar Coalition
- Tucson Collaborative Community Care Program
Community Home Repair Projects of Arizona (CHRPA) creates safer places to live by addressing health and safety concerns with efficient home repairs and adaptations to support long term housing solutions for low-income homeowners and their families. The importance of safe, functional and stable housing is more important than ever as vulnerable populations shelter in place during the pandemic. Scott Coverdale, Director of CHRPA, shared about their clients, “Most are elderly or have medical vulnerabilities. It has been a long, hot summer for everyone. Community Home Repair is here for the community and fortunately the community is here for us as well. We find resilience when we collaborate and work together to overcome the challenges of these difficult times.”
Bicycle Inter-Community Art & Salvage’s (BICAS) mission works through advocacy and bicycle salvage to participate in affordable bicycle transportation, education, and creative recycling with the greater Tucson community. After opening for essential services in April, BICAS has relied on community support to provide services to low and no income populations, as well as free bikes to those in need. Ellie Kaszniak, Youth Development Coordinator of BICAS, shared, “This grant is not only helping us recover from imbalances in income to expenses, but ensures that we will be able to continue to offer this service through the rest of the year and hopefully as long as Tucson needs these pandemic era services.”
Casa de los Niños works to respond to the unique needs of children and families experiencing times of crisis while promoting child well-being and family stability in the community. During COVID-19, Casa de los Niños is providing families with emergency gift cards for grocery stores and for essential items needed. Melinda Gee, Grants and Contracts Coordinator of Casa de los Niños, shared, “The gift from the Somos Uno CARES Grant is instrumental to our clients. Many of our families and kids are displaced without warning, leaving them with hardly any of their belongings and very limited resources to get back on their feet.”
Parent Aid Child Abuse Prevention Center’s mission centers around preventing child abuse in Pima County home visitations and community-based parent education services. Allan Stockellburg, Executive Director, offered, “Funds from the Mayor’s Office will help our Family Support Specialists connect those in need to rental assistance, unemployment benefits, and food distribution centers as well as provide support and education to families to help alleviate the extra burden of increased stress and anxiety due to COVID and the new environment it has created for us all.”
Arizona Justice for Our Neighbors welcomes immigrants by providing affordable and pro-bono, high-quality immigration legal services to low-income immigrants, engaging in advocacy for immigrant rights, and offering education to communities of faith and to the public about immigration. Alba Jaramillo, Executive Director, stated, “Arizona Justice For Our Neighbors is grateful to have been selected as a recipient of the Somos Uno| We Are One Cares Act Grant. These funds will allow our organization to remain sustainable during a global pandemic when fundraising is difficult. More importantly, this funding will allow us to continue to provide uninterrupted legal services to low-income immigrants who make up a significant portion of essential industries in Tucson.”
Clinica Amistad helps individuals who are disproportionately affected by COVID by providing free primary health care, preventative services, and education to those in need and without access to health care. Nicole Glasner, Executive Director for Development of Clinica Amistad, said, “With this generous grant we will continue to help the community as a whole to stay healthier and safer. It means the world to us — and our patients!”
Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona has seen a 30% increase in requests for services since that pandemic began and expect those numbers to continue rising as families continue to lose jobs and income, making it difficult to provide meals for their vulnerable family members. Jennifer Tersigni, Interim Executive Director, shared, “Funding from Somos Uno is helping Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona expand to meet this growing need throughout Tucson, filling in gaps in current community services.”