Unity Salsa's Human Services Department
For the past year, Unity Salsa has been directly assisting homeless individuals throughout Tempe and the greater Phoenix area. The work is often difficult and can be heartbreaking, but we have been making significant strides in breaking these cycles of homelessness and addiction.
Currently, we serve clients on a case-by-case basis in 3 Stages: Outreach, Rescue, and Recovery. There are many facets to each, with different goals and tasks along the way. We have spent a majority of this past year focusing on Outreach efforts, and are now providing more services in the Rescue Stage– the most critical stage- where a person’s life changes trajectory.
Our Human Services Navigation Program focuses on utilizing existing programs that are available to those in need. The Rescue Stage includes completion of applications and appointments that require executive functioning skills often beyond a person’s capabilities. We bridge this gap by continuously addressing, assessing, and updating our clients’ case plans.
We have now added the UNITY SALSA SOAR Program.
Unity Salsa recently became SOAR Certified, allowing us to assist disabled homeless individuals to obtain their SSI/SSDI, 'Disability’, benefits. These benefits equate to the housing and care that can potentially end a person’s homelessness, permanently.
The Disability application process is notoriously slow and includes a difficult list of tasks. Our help speeds up this process. But most significantly, we begin getting clients the physical and psychological treatments that they desperately need... sometimes for the first time in their lives.
Programs & Services Currently Offered:
- Food: Provision of food and refreshments directly to the homeless through street outreach; Distribution and donation of perishable food items to our partner organizations, which then provide the food to eligible populations; Matching of SNAP/ Foodsmart/ Nutrition Assistance and access to additional food sources through navigation, organization, and utilization of volunteers to aid in distribution.
- Clothing: Distribution of qualified clothing to the homeless through direct street outreach; Distribution of clothing items in partnership with our partner organizations, at basic needs service events and programming for the homeless.
- Job Placement Services: Provision of transportation services to individuals attending job training programs and job interviews, as well as case-management services focused on interview skills, job readiness, resume writing, and job application processes, that help qualified individuals secure attainable and sustainable employment.
- Medical Care Access: Case-management and coordination of medical services, Transportation services for medical appointments.
- Case-management to support obtaining and maintaining:
- DES Cash Assistance services for low-income families experiencing homelessness and/or at risk of homelessness
- Healthcare benefits, including Medicaid (AHCCCS), Medicare, and ALTCS, SSI and SSDI, retirement benefits
- SNAP/ Foodsmart/ Nutrition Assistance and access to additional food resources
- Childcare services through HeadStart, IDEA, ESA, and DDD
- Immediate Basic Needs Support: Distribution of essential hygiene products to homeless/at-risk individuals, promoting health and personal dignity. This is done directly on the street and in partnership with our partner organizations at basic needs service events and programming for the homeless; Transportation to help individuals access any other basic needs services.
Unity Salsa at The Aris Foundation
Every Tuesday evening Unity Salsa attends the Aris Foundation's community feed for the homeless in Tempe, AZ. We bring salsa music, instruments, and lots of love! Participants and volunteers love joining us to learn how to play different rhythms as well as to dance. We provide a true sense of joy to those who attend the weekly feeds, and know that our attendance and engagement with participants inspires every person who hears our music.
The Aris Foundation community feed is located in the parking lot at Mountain Park Healthcare Center in Tempe (1840 E. Broadway Rd. Tempe, AZ 85282), at the Northwest corner of McClintock and Broadway. We arrive at 4pm to start setting up. We play music and dance until 6pm. We are always looking for people to join us-- The more, the merrier!
Friday afternoons Unity Salsa partners with The Tempe Community Action Alliance to provide navigation services to those in need. We assist in applying for benefits, and helping individuals in need to get sustainable services to help keep them off the street.
Philanthropy in the Local Latin Dance Community
At our May 2024 Unity Through Salsa Event, we held a raffle to help purchase items for hygiene bags which we have directly been distributing to homeless individuals at the street level. We were able to assemble more than 50 bags, which included dental hygiene items, soap, clean socks, sun screen, and more.
In December 2023, Unity Salsa partnered with Bachata Addiction at Dave and Busters to hold a blanket/sleeping bag drive for the homeless/those at risk of homelessness. We filled an entire minivan full of blankets, which were distributed to grateful individuals at Aris Foundation's weekly community meal at Broadway & McClintock. Thank you for your partnership, Bachata Addition!