STAR Village completes first year serving Tucson's homeless community; city renews program

For Tucson residents concerned about homelessness, neighborhood safety and the limited supply of shelter, STAR Village will remain part of the city’s response for at least another year. The safe outdoor site completed its first year as a pilot program after serving 138 people experiencing homelessness. City officials say the program provided a stable place for residents to stay while connecting them with shelter, housing, health care and other services. The City of Tucson has renewed the program, keeping the site open while its new operator considers changes and a possible expansion.

STAR Village opened in midtown Tucson as an alternative to a conventional indoor shelter. The site can accommodate up to 25 women at a time. Each resident receives a tent, a bed and storage space, along with access to services on the property. Residents are assigned caseworkers, and the site operates as a closed campus intended to provide a controlled and secure environment.

The city developed STAR Village after Tucson’s homelessness response had included growing attention to outdoor sleeping areas and the need for alternatives to traditional shelters. The facility opened despite opposition and concerns from some nearby residents, with city officials emphasizing security and services. During the pilot, the site became the subject of continuing community discussion, including reviews of its first 100 days, questions about neighborhood impacts and preparations for Tucson’s extreme summer heat.

Assistant City Manager Liz Morales said the program’s central purpose was to give people a place where they could become safe and stable before taking the next step. Unlike a shelter located inside a permanent building, STAR Village offers tents and outdoor facilities while maintaining on site case management and support. Residents can be connected with treatment, behavioral health services, food and other resources. Morales said the city’s experience showed that people who entered the program had safety and stability during their time there.

The first year produced several measurable outcomes, although city officials said the results do not tell the entire story. More than 42 percent of participants moved on to shelters or another setting considered more permanent, including a higher level of care, temporary housing or permanent housing. Twenty seven people moved into temporary or permanent housing, according to the city. Morales also said the city does not know what happened to the remaining 58 percent after they left STAR Village. She described that uncertainty as common in homelessness services, where people may need repeated contacts and multiple attempts before becoming fully stabilized.

The city also reported that violent crime in the surrounding neighborhood declined by 5 percent after STAR Village opened. Earlier reporting followed police calls for service near the site and the community’s response to the facility. Morales said the decline suggested that a carefully managed project could help address challenges in a troubled area. The city’s figures do not establish why crime changed, but officials view the result, along with the housing connections, as evidence that the model is worth continuing.

The program’s partnership structure will change in its second year. Primavera and Old Pueblo Community Services worked with the city during the pilot, but Old Pueblo will now take over daily operations from Primavera following leadership changes at the Primavera Foundation. Thomas Litwicki, Old Pueblo’s chief executive, said the organization’s immediate priority is serving the women currently living at STAR Village. At the same time, the group plans to assess how the site functions and identify ways to make it more effective.

Those changes are expected to focus on practical conditions that matter in Tucson’s climate and to the people using the site. Old Pueblo is reviewing shade and heat protection, dependable electricity, accessible showers, and behavioral health and crisis services. Litwicki also said behavioral health support should be connected to housing placement. That can include assistance through a home fund for move in supplies and utility costs, helping residents manage expenses that can otherwise delay a move into housing.

The second year is expected to cost about $300,000, paid from the city’s general fund using rollover savings from the Mayor and Council offices. The renewal gives Tucson another year to measure whether the program can produce stronger housing outcomes and operate efficiently. Litwicki said STAR Village is deeply meaningful for the 25 people who can live there at one time, and that it may save lives, but he also acknowledged that the site’s broader effect remains limited while so many people are homeless. His larger goal is to persuade city partners to finance an expansion, while first improving services for the residents already there.