Tempe Community Council

TEMPE COALITION:The Tempe Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking and Drug Use (Tempe Coalition) has a long history of addressing substance misuse through advocacy, education, and outreach in Tempe and surrounding school district areas. Established in 1987 as the Mayor's Anti-Drug Task Force, it became the Tempe Coalition in 2009 and is now a grant-funded project of the Tempe Community Council, supported by federal and state funding. The Coalition is a diverse group of community members and professionals from sectors such as business, media, law enforcement, education, health care, youth-serving organizations, civic groups, and faith-based organizations, working to reduce youth risk behaviors and enhance community health and wellness. The Coalitions mission is to promote positive youth development through awareness, education, advocacy, and connecting community resources. In response to the opioid epidemic, it launched the ShatterStigmaAZ campaign to highlight that opioids affect everyone, regardless of background. Other initiatives include the 21 or Too Young campaign to prevent underage drinking, promoting a Social Host Ordinance, advocating for raising the tobacco/vape sales age to 21, and the annual Celebrating Champions for Youth event. The Coalition also delivers presentations on topics like fentanyl, opioids, marijuana, vaping, alcohol, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), youth resiliency, and internet safety. Additionally, it provides Narcan training and distribution to combat the opioid crisis.

COMMUNITY IMPACT PROGRAMS:Community Impact Programs encompass various initiatives supporting community projects, human services, and collaborations in Tempe. Through Agency Review, TCC administers grants, trains agencies, and engages community volunteers to evaluate and recommend the allocation of $1.14 million in taxpayer funds to support vital human services on behalf of the City of Tempe. In FY 2023-2024, 62 volunteers contributed over 1,300 hours to this process, which includes reviewing applications, interviewing agencies, and conducting site visits. TCC also hosts Community of Practice sessions, uniting stakeholders to address trends, share information, and improve services. Free specialized trainings, such as trauma-informed care, are provided to local service providers. Additionally, TCCs Program Development and Planning activity gathers and uses data from its tri-annual community needs assessment and other demographic resources to plan, develop policy, incubate programs and address unmet human service needs in Tempe.Tempe Community Foundation (TCF) established an endowment fund with the Arizona Community Foundation several years ago to build a lasting source of funding for addressing human service needs in Tempe. Each year, a portion of the funds growth is distributed to local agencies based on the priorities identified by the Tempe Community Council (TCC) Board of Directors. Past grants have supported emergency rent and mortgage assistance, start-up project funding, legal services for low-income residents, COVID-19 crisis relief, mental health services, aging support, financial instability, disability resources and homelessness prevention. The TCF endowment serves as a perpetual source of funding complemented by the Collaborative Fund, which allows donors to make contributions that can be utilized throughout the year for immediate needs. All distribution of these funds follow a grant process approved by the TCC Board of Directors, in collaboration with the TCF Advisory Committee. The TCC Board of Directors also works to grow the foundations resources by securing legacy gifts and identifying additional revenue sources.

YOUTH AND FAMILY PROGRAMS:Youth and Families Programs Open Horizons, Threadz, and Teen Triple P support students and families in Tempe. Open Horizons helps student parents in the Tempe Union High School District stay in school by providing scholarships for childcare, emergency transportation, and other resources, enabling many to graduate and plan for their futures. Since 2009, Threadz teen clothes closets have provided middle and high school students with free clothing, hygiene items, and school supplies; this year, 1,213 students received 16,469 essential items from its three boutique-style locations at Tempe High, Marcos de Niza, and Mountain Pointe. Teen Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) offers workshops and one-on-one support to help parents raise confident, healthy teens, prevent behavioral issues, and build strong family relationships, completing the continuum of Triple P services available in Tempe.