PHOENIX  November 3, 2015    Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development has received a $20,000 grant from Arizona First Advised Fund, via the Arizona Community Foundation, to further develop the innovative “Family Finding” reunification program it adopted this year.

Family Finding is a 6-step approach to identifying supportive adults in the often-dispersed families of homeless and traumatized youth who can work together to form a permanent support network for the youth. Developed by California-based researcher Kevin Campbell, the program has been used around the world in settings ranging from foster homes to refugee families displaced by war. Tumbleweed is among the first agencies to use Family Finding specifically with homeless youth.

Tumbleweed will use the funds to train two staffers as “local experts” in Family Finding and to train two Tumbleweed client youth to organize a Tumbleweed-based Youth Leadership Council to serve as a support group and sounding board for youth experiencing the Family Finding process.

“Many young people find themselves dealing with complex and volatile emotions as they go through this process, and this can discourage them from continuing,” said Tumbleweed Chief Executive Officer Cynthia Schuler.  “The Youth Leadership Council will provide peer support.”

“We also discovered in our initial rollout that we need people deeply trained in the technique who can serve as onsite or “local” experts so that we maintain true fidelity with the Family Finding technique,” she added.  “With cases varying dramatically depending on each individual’s situation, local experts can ensure reliability and stability in the process.”

Schuler says Tumbleweed expects to have the Leadership Council launched by January.  Staff training will be scheduled for early 2016.

Phoenix AZ (October 7, 2015)  Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development has received a $600,000 grant from the Department of Justice to provide housing and therapeutic support for survivors of sex trafficking.

The three-year grant from the Office for Victims of Crime will fund “healing house” apartments in one- or two-bedroom settings as well as an independent therapist/counselor who will work exclusively with program participants. Tumbleweed will also establish sex trafficking survivors groups “that welcome survivors of all sexual orientations,” said Tumbleweed Chief Executive Officer Cynthia Schuler.

“This is a tremendous boost in the effort to help Arizona-based individuals traumatized by sex trafficking,” she said. “Tumbleweed’s growing reputation as a leader in this fight and our location at an important human trafficking crossroads also contributed to this important development.”

“Traffickers target people of all sexual orientations,” Schuler added. “They use coercion and force to lure young people who are susceptible for many reasons including psychological and emotional vulnerability, economic hardship or lack of family support.”

A survey of youth at Tumbleweed conducted last year by the ASU Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research revealed that one out of 4 reported a history of being sex trafficked. “Clearly, homeless youth are particularly vulnerable,” Schuler added.

“We intend to move rapidly in making a difference in the lives of those who are suffering,” Schuler said, adding she expects the housing and counseling services to be in place by the end of the year.

The grant marks the first time Tumbleweed has been funded by the Department of Justice and advances the agency’s involvement in the sex trafficking issue. In 2014, the Tumbleweed-led Arizona Partnership to End Domestic Trafficking received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide comprehensive case management for victims of human trafficking in Maricopa and Pima counties.

September 17, 2015 Thanks to generous support from the Ann and Bruce Halle Foundation, Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development has finished outfitting a mobile resource service and reached agreements for the van and trailer combination to operate at four sites in the Valley.

The Mobile Youth Resource Center features showers, laundry facilities, backpacks stuffed with non-perishable food and hygiene items, internet access, and Tumbleweed staff who can consult with homeless youth on the various services Tumbleweed offers at its 12 facilities in Phoenix and Tempe.

The City of Phoenix has agreed to host the Mobile Center at three of its library branches. In coming weeks, the service will set up at the following locations/days/times:

Cholla Library, 10050 N. MetroCenter Parkway Mondays from 10 am-2 pm
Acacia Library, 750 E. Townley Tuesdays 10 am-2 pm
Palo Verde Library, 4402 N. 51st Avenue Thursdays 10 am-2 pm

In addition, the Town of Guadalupe has agreed to the Mobile Center setting up at Biehn Colonial Park at 5700 E. Calle Iglesia on Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

The service represents the first major expansion of Tumbleweed services outside of the central Phoenix core in Tumbleweed’s 40-year existence.

After finishing touches are applied, the Mobile Youth Resource Center is expected to be on the road later in September.

September 8, 2015   The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation recently awarded a $581,500 grant to help fund a collaboration among three of the largest local agencies serving homeless youth in Phoenix: Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development, Native American Connections and one•n•ten. On any given day there are 600-800 homeless youth on the streets in Phoenix and this collaboration will enhance services, reduce duplication of efforts and improve long-term outcomes for at-risk youth. Young people facing homelessness are often assisted by two, or all three, of these agencies and must duplicate the intake process at each organization.

“The current process is inefficient and can re-traumatize young people by requiring them to answer difficult questions about their background and explain their needs multiple times,” said DeDe Yazzie Devine, Executive Director of Native American Connections. “Support from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation will help us correct a significant issue and better serve the kids we support.”

The grant will help the agencies operate more efficiently and share access to data such as case management and housing information. The funds will also allow “Solution Advocates” - who will perform the intake processes and enter the information into a shared cloud-based data system - to be based at each organization. The shared data and additional staffing will be instrumental in identifying the best housing service and agency for each individual. In addition, the grant allows for implementation of a “Family Finding” program which assists youth in identifying and tracing supportive family members with whom they may have lost touch, with the goal of building long-term family bonds.

“Children deserve the promise of a better future, in particular one with a safe, stable environment,” said Renee Parsons. “The collaborative will allow the agencies to better provide for these highly vulnerable young people facing homelessness.”

The three organizations, each serving homeless youth in its own unique way, have volunteered to work together to improve processes and long-term outcomes. Native American Connections is a multiservice organization that provides culturally appropriate improvements in Native American housing stability and serves homeless youth of all nationalities, ages 18-14, through its HomeBase transitional living program. Also focused on providing immediate shelter and longer term assistance, Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development offers a range of housing, counseling and educational programs for homeless youth ages 12-25. One•n•ten provides similar programs for youth ages 14-24 and is dedicated to serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community.

“This collaborative approach will streamline the often daunting systems of care for homeless youth and help facilitate appropriate referrals and placement,” said one•n•ten Executive Director, Linda Elliott.

“We are excited to work together and implement new processes, like the Family Funding program, that will help find long-term solutions for the children we serve,” said Cynthia Schuler, Chief Executive Officer of Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development.

With funding from the grant approved, the organizations have already begun writing position descriptions and setting first-year goals. Cross-organizational training is scheduled for September, with coordinated entry slated to begin October 1, 2015.

To learn more about these organizations visit the websites: http://tumbleweed.org, http://onenten.org and http://www.nativeconnections.org.

About The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation
The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation inspires hope by providing critical funding at critical times to communities striving to make a difference. The Foundation primarily focuses on issues in the greater Phoenix area. The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation believes every person is entitled to an education, good nutrition, medical care, a stress-free, happy environment and the hope that they too, will share in the American Dream. The Foundation provides funding to nonprofit organizations that are successfully addressing these essential needs. The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation is also committed to the children of Haiti, helping to grow and improve schools, medical services and overall well-being for communities in rural Haiti. tbrpf.org.

September 3, 2015   Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development and Cox Communications celebrated the success of Tumbleweed’s Cox Technology Center at an official ribbon cutting September 3.

The Cox Technology Center is comprised of 16 computers and interactive projector technology. It has been heavily used by homeless youth at the Tumbleweed Learning Center on North 7^th Street in Phoenix since it debuted in the spring. Young people work into the evening hours most weekdays at the Center, completing high school equivalency certificates, college admission tests and even entrepreneurial business plans, according to Learning Center Director Lisa Meier. “It is a haven and a source of success for our youth,” she says. “Being in a safe and comfortable place using highly sophisticated equipment helps them achieve goals and gives them confidence,” she said.

Cox Communications donated $20,000 to launch the Center, one of 27 Cox Technology Centers around the Valley.

“Thanks to Cox Communications, we have a state of the art classroom and we have opened up online learning for our homeless youth,” said Tumbleweed Chief Executive Officer Cynthia Schuler. “Their lives can be chaotic and unpredictable, so 24/7 online access can help them keep up and stay focused on their goal.”

“Cox is committed to increasing the accessibility of technology for our community,” said Susan Anable, Vice President of Public Affairs, Cox Communications Southwest. “Together with Tumbleweed, we are working to ensure our youth are prepared to thrive in today’s digital world and excel in their future.”

Aug 20, 2015

Florida-based Alldogboots.com has donated boxes of booties to Tumbleweed to help pets cope with our urban environment and the heat.
“Many homeless youth have dogs they are very close to,” says Tumbleweed CEO Cynthia Schuler. “Caring for the whole youth means caring for their pet, too, and we are grateful to alldogboots.com for their support.”
“We are happy to be helping the pets of our homeless young people,” says Karen Luther of alldogboots.com “It gets hot in Florida, too, and we understand the need.”
“Healthy paws are a dog’s best friend,” she added. “Hot pavement and city life can pose a serious risk of injury and owners might not realize it until it has already happened. We know our product will be very useful during a difficult time in the lives of young people and their pets.”
“Having pet-friendly rooms at our Emergency Housing Program is important to helping youth transition from street life,” Schuler says. “We’ve often seen young people share food with their pet, so we strive to keep pet food and other supplies on hand for both our EHP and our street outreach program.”
For more information (and many cute dog pics!), visit www.alldogboots.com

August 13, 2015    When the temperatures hit 113-115, you probably give a thought to homeless people, homeless youth in particular, but don’t have a good idea of how to help in the course of your crazy busy day.

Here are a few simple, easy things you can do to help during our heat emergency the next few days:

1)  Get a flat of water bottles at the store and freeze them.  Keep some in your car and hand them out to anyone you see on corners or ramps or medians. By freezing the water, it will stay cool in your vehicle all day, and it will be more refreshing and valuable for the person or persons you are helping.

2) While you are at the store, grab a box of granola bars or other easy-to-keep snack items and hand those out with your water bottles.

3) Gatorade and similar drinks are very inexpensive these days.  Add a few bottles of that to the mix.  Homeless people can add the drink bit by bit to the cold or frozen water bottles you’ve provided

4) Tell others to do the same!  That’s what social media is for.

5) Buy your Sunday Arizona Republic at a QuikTrip store (OK, you have to get out of your car for this one).   The Republic is donating a water bottle to Tumbleweed for every Sunday paper sold at QuikTrip each Sunday through October 4.

6) Feel good that you have done something to help in a real weather emergency.

Thank you!

August 28, 2015   A frightened 16-year-old Nevada runaway is safe again thanks to a helpful Valley Metro worker, Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development and the Safe Place hotline at a Valley Metro light rail station.

“This is exactly what the system is designed to do,” said Cynthia Schuler, CEO of Tumbleweed in Phoenix, which manages the Safe Place program at Valley Metro light rail stations and QuikTrip stores. “A young person at serious risk and very far from home base needed help right away and got it in less than an hour.”

The news comes at about the same time Valley Metro expands light rail service to central Mesa with the opening of four new stations there. “That means four new Safe Place locations for needy teens in the East Valley,” Schuler says.  “Great news!”

On the early morning of July 7, a Valley Metro employee noticed the 16-year old riding the light rail system. The youth said he was a runaway from a foster home in Nevada and had previously run away, but only for a few days.  This time, he reported he had been on the run for three weeks, hitchhiking, eating from dumpsters and panhandling for cash.  He said was tired of running, frightened by his first venture beyond Nevada and “did not know what to do next,” according to Schuler. He had spotted the Safe Place sign and asked for help from the light rail employee.

The pair used the Safe Place hotline at the next light rail station to initiate contact with Tumbleweed. In approximately 45 minutes the youth was at a Tumbleweed residential shelter, where he received food and drink, an opportunity to shower, clean his clothes, and sleep in a comfortable bed. The Tumbleweed Lead Youth Care Worker contacted Child Protective Services in Nevada “where they were very worried about him,” Schuler said. “Nevada CPS said they had filed a runaway report with the police and had been looking for him.”

Tumbleweed and Nevada CPS arranged for the child’s caseworker from Nevada to travel to Phoenix where two days later “there was an emotional reunion,” Schuler said. “Lots of tears and hugs.”

“The youth was grateful to have a roof over his head and a safe environment at Tumbleweed where he could rest and recover from an exhausting ordeal,” Schuler added. “Thanks to the training Valley Metro has done with its employees and the availability of the Safe Place hotline, Tumbleweed staff was able to stabilize this young man and help get him back to a safe environment.”

Safe Place is a national program that makes local hotline service available to teens in crisis 17 and younger. In the Valley, Tumbleweed manages the service and responds to hotline calls. QuikTrip stores and Valley Metro Light rail stations serve as hotline sites and their employees are trained to help young people seeking assistance. Since the program started in the Valley last summer, Schuler says Tumbleweed fields a Safe Place call from a distressed teen roughly every three days.

July 24, 2015   In a unique partnership, the Arizona Republic and QuikTrip are working together to help deliver much-needed water all summer to the hundreds of young people in Maricopa County who are currently homeless.

Beginning this Sunday (July 26) and running each Sunday through October 4, the Arizona Republic will donate one bottle of water to Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development for every copy of the Sunday Republic sold at a QuikTrip store.

“The Arizona Republic is concerned with making the Metro Phoenix area a safe place for kids,” said Larry Kaiser, Director of Single Copy Sales for the Republic. “In addition to providing needed hydration for homeless teens, this partnership will promote community awareness of Tumbleweed’s mission.”

Based on current sales of the Sunday Republic at QuikTrip stores, the initiative could result in thousands of water bottles being donated each week.

“We take water so much for granted it is hard to imagine being in a position where it is suddenly hard to get,” said Tumbleweed CEO Cynthia Schuler. “But if you are a homeless young person with no money, it is more difficult to find drinking water than you might think. Water contributions are very important to our mission of helping homeless youth.”

QuikTrip has a history of community engagement, especially with Tumbleweed. QuikTrip stores are designated “Safe Place” locations, where people 17 and younger who are in crisis can find immediate help through a 24-hour phone hotline managed by Tumbleweed.  Valley Metro Light Rail also makes the hotline available at all light rail stations.

“W are very grateful for the community mindedness of QuikTrip and the tremendous assistance of the Arizona Republic, which has such a long history of making a positive difference in the Valley and Arizona,’ Schuler added.

July 21, 2015     A recent survey of homeless youth at the Tumbleweed Emergency Housing Program (EHP) in Phoenix shows that sex trafficking, crime and violence were the most commonly cited reasons for seeking emergency shelter.

26 young people offered responses at Tumbleweed’s 33-bed Emergency Housing Program on East Van Buren Street in Phoenix. Six said they were fleeing sex traffickers, 5 reported being victims of crime such as robbery, 4 cited domestic violence, and two said they had been sexually assaulted. Family deportations, chronic poverty and family conflict were also cited.

“This is a representative snapshot,” said EHP Manager Corey Wolter. “Young people on the street are extremely vulnerable and are regularly victimized in some way. 23% of our residents that night reported that they had been sexually trafficked, a sad but not unusual fact.”

The Tumbleweed Emergency Housing Program is housed in a renovated motel and provides beds, bathroom and shower facilities, group meetings and evening meals during the evening and overnight hours 7 days a week. Young people have the opportunity to access other Tumbleweed services through the EHP, such as counseling, continuing education, life skills training and transitional housing support.

“It’s all about moving forward to independent young adulthood,” Wolter says. “With the right kind of support helping them deal with the trauma they have experienced, many get off the street permanently.”

Tumbleweed is the lead agency of the five-member AZ Partnership to End Domestic Trafficking.