Catholic Community Services to Break Ground on Tucson's New Medical Respite Center

Catholic Community Services (CCS) will break ground on Tucson’s first and only Medical Respite Center for Men and Women Experiencing Homelessness at 10:00AM on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022, at the Center of Opportunity Campus, 4550 S. Palo Verde Road in Tucson.

The Medical Respite Center will provide post-hospital services to persons experiencing homelessness who are injured or ill, and have no place to recover because they are unhoused. The program in Tucson includes a partnership with El Rio Health Center (providing medical care), Catholic Community Services (providing housing and supportive services) and the HSLopez Family Foundation Center of Opportunity (providing the location for the new facility).

“We are excited to be breaking ground for this new facility,” said Peg Harmon, CEO of CCS. “We began work on this project in 2015 with a community assessment to determine the need for such a program in Tucson. We have had a number of challenges placed on our path between that first year of work and today, including a worldwide pandemic. We are grateful to all of our generous donors, volunteers who helped design this program and partners for their support bringing us to this day.”

CCS’ 15,000-square-foot facility includes housing for 10 women and 36 men in a quad room setting and two private rooms for palliative or private care. The common area will include a small group therapy space, large activity areas, dining areas, outside space, a serving kitchen, and an interfaith chapel/quiet room for worship services and meetings. Because maintaining relationships with pets is important to health and healing, the center will also have a pet play area to accommodate patients’ pets. Additional spaces include staff areas, storage, showers, and laundry. It is estimated that Tucson’s new Medical Respite Center will serve more than 1,500 men and women experiencing homelessness annually, reducing costly emergency room visits by 40%, days of in-patient care by 70%, and hospital readmissions.

Gifts, grants, and pledge commitments supporting the $6.8 million facility totaled $3,469,711.50 as of March 15, 2022. Active fundraising in the community is beginning again after being suspended during the Covid Pandemic so CCS could focus on the immediate needs of clients during the Pandemic. Some of the current funders include Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation, St. Joseph Catholic Healthcare Endowment Fund, Connie Hillman Foundation, Southwest Catholic Health Network, Ginny L. Clements and Tom Rogers, O’Rielly Family Foundation, Del E. Webb Foundation, Jim and Vicki Click, William and Mary Ross

Foundation, Margaret E. Mooney Foundation, PetSmart Charities, Union Pacific, Raskob Foundation, and the Sundt Foundation. Board members, families, additional corporations and foundations, and those who wish to remain anonymous have also helped the project. Those who wish to provide support can contribute online at -- https://www.ccs-soaz.org/donate/form (and clicking on Medical Respite). 

About CCS: Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona’s mission is to strengthen children, adults, families, and communities by providing help, creating hope, and serving all. Founded in 1933, CCS’ Agencies and Ministries – including Deaf & Residential Services, the Pio Decimo Center, Casa Alitas, the Kolbe Society, St. Jean Jugan Ministry for Elders, CCS Yuma and Sierra Vista – work to create a compassionate and just community that upholds the God-given worth and dignity of every human being. For more information, see: https://www.ccs-soaz.org/