There’s no place like home for the holidays, and Tucsonans still have time to support local nonprofits seeking to provide holiday cheer for youth and young adults who are housing insecure.
Intermountain Centers is on a mission to provide gifts and holiday decor for youth through its ZIA Transitional Housing Program, which serves young people age 16 to 21 who are in and out of care with the Arizona Department of Child Safety. The program provides semi-independent living for kids and young adults with long-term involvement in the foster care system. An on-site staff provides 24-hour support with everything from behavioral health treatment and job coaching to assistance with employment and high school diplomas or GEDs, as well as other needed social services.
ZIA is an effort to provide a bridge to becoming a productive member of society for young people who are often ill-equipped to handle challenges as they age out of foster care, according to Paul O’Rourke, vice president for development and communications for the Intermountain Centers.
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“About 75 percent of the kids aging out of foster care will end up in jail and 60 percent of females will end up pregnant. We want to tackle that by giving them the skills and support they need to be successful. Holidays are a tough time for these kids and if we can provide them with gifts, decorations and other things needed to create an atmosphere of celebration, that would be great,” O’Rourke said.
Intermountain is also requesting gifts and decor for a recently-opened local residential program for families in financial distress. The two- and four-bedroom units, which offer short-term subsidized rent and other support as families transition into permanent housing, are another initiative on Intermountain Center’s continuum of home-based and out-of-home support for 20,000 emotionally and behaviorally-challenged children and adults statewide.
In-kind donations of new, unwrapped toys, gifts for teens, gift cards, and holiday decor are accepted from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday through Christmas Eve at Intermountain Centers, 401 N. Bonita Ave. Cash donations can be made online at https://intermountaincenters.org/donate/.
For Arizona residents, cash contributions may be eligible for the Qualifying Charitable Organization (QCO) tax credit, which offers a dollar-for-dollar credit on 2023 state income taxes (up to $421 for individuals and $841 for married couples filing jointly).
Go to http://tucne.ws/1ow2 to find more information.
You can support other youth experiencing housing insecurity through the Youth On Their Own (YOTO) Spread the Warmth Campaign, which is ongoing through the end of the year. The cash appeal seeks to provide a $40 gift and a warm blanket for more than 1,500 homeless and near-homeless students as they seek to remain in school and attain their high school diplomas. Donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar by two YOTO donors (up to $50,000 total).
“With inflation, our youth need more support than ever. Generally fundraising has been down this year for YOTO and other nonprofits, so we hope folks can be extra generous. We have more kids enrolled in the program than expected and between extra enrollment and our new building, the need is greater than ever,” said Bethany Neumann, Director of Development and Communications for YOTO.
Online monetary donations for the Spread the Warmth Campaign can be made at https://yoto.org/. In-kind donations of blankets and other items for students (see the wishlist at https://yoto.org/support-the-mini-mall/) will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at YOTO, 2525 N Country Club Rd.
