TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In a follow up to the August 2022 community strategy forum on unsheltered homelessness, the City of Tucson Housing and Community Development (HCD) and Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness (TPCH) will hold a listening virtual session on Wednesday, Sept. 28, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
At the virtual forum, results from August's sessions will be presented. Those who went to the met in small groups to creating action plans and identify resource and capacity needs for the unsheltered homelessness in the Tucson area.
A local Tucson woman who combatted homelessness in 2021, speaks out on what she thinks housing leaders should know.
“It’s mental health more than anything else—it’s substance abuse. You are never going to be able to get homeless people into shelters until you address those problems first," said Sacha Gilley.
TPCH and HCD are working with the Corporation to Supportive Housing to create a Frequent User System Engagement (FUSE) approach for housing people with service needs to lower the costs and trauma associated with homelessness, incarceration, and emergency services.
FUSE will give HCD and TPCH the chance to set up health, housing, supportive services, and other resources to help the homeless.
This is what Gilley says that those experiencing homelessness need to take advantage of.
"Seriously take every single resource that the city or the county or whatever has to offer you. If they have free clothes go get them— if they give out free food, go get it."
To RSVP for the virtual forum tonight, click here.
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Brooke Chau is a reporter for KGUN 9. She was a part of Fresno State's newscast, Fresno State Focus and interned at KFSN-ABC30 in Fresno, CA before coming to KGUN 9. Share your story ideas and important issues with Brooke by emailing brooke.chau@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
