The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer.
In response to the implications of COVID-19 on the Southern Arizona community, our United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona took action and assessed that the needs in our community during this health and consequent economic crisis have never been greater for the most vulnerable people.
Children, families, the elderly, those who have been laid off, those in low-income brackets, the homeless, the underinsured and those struggling to make ends meet are now facing even more hardship.
More than 150,000 families and individuals across Southern Arizona are challenged by work and school closures, wage disruptions and restricted access to basic needs. The need in the greater Tucson community is more acute than other areas because we are a service economy and that is the sector that has suffered the most.
In response to this crisis, our United Way leadership developed a three-pronged strategy: First, get urgently needed resources to recipients in greatest need as quickly as possible.
Second, coordinate volunteers to not only deliver essential funds, food, medications and products, but to also reach out to seniors living alone to offer assistance. Almost 170 volunteers have been a part of this service so far.
And third, define and fill gaps in services and enable partners to receive the full capacity of the network. For example, Lee Lambert, chancellor and CEO of Pima Community College, offered and provided the services of Pimaâs fashion division to make face masks and the services of the PCCâs culinary division to make meals.
As part of that strategy, United Way sent out a survey to our nonprofit partners. Through the surveys, United Way learned who was prepared to participate in the United for Southern Arizona COVID-19 Fund. United Way required front-line social service agencies from participating nonprofits to have in place the infrastructure to ascertain and qualify needs and measure results.
For instance, one partner, the Primavera Foundation, provides pathways out of poverty through safe, affordable housing; workforce development; and neighborhood revitalization. Primavera has case managers in place to help the most vulnerable in our community with rent, mortgage and utility assistance. Consequently, they are able to assess the needs of each person or family, request funds from United Way, and report how assistance was given.
Next, United Way devised a system that would allow input for requests and capture results. LaVonne Douville, executive vice president of community development, and her team created a software platform that enabled United Way to simultaneously receive requests, assess the need, deploy the funding resources, and capture the results as soon as they came in. Moreover, each qualified nonprofit received an initial funding award and was given the ability to request more funding if the client needs exceeded their award.
With the coalition put together and the platform to provide needed funding in place, United Way launched a public fundraising drive which has resulted, to date, in a distribution of $345,000 to 27 partner organizations with supported households receiving an average of $500 in assistance. And as funds continue to come in, they will continue to go out to partner organizations, allowing them to continue their vital assistance.
We usually think of United Way as the recipient of our financial gifts. Instead, United Way, with its actions and funding for our community, is now demonstrating that it is the gift to our Southern Arizona community for those in need.
