Councilmember Cunningham and the Ward 2 team have a number of policy initiatives that we are actively working to advance; here is a brief summary of some of those.
Universal Aftercare for Tucson kids
We all know that one of the most vulnerable times for developing children is that time on weekdays between school getting out and parents getting home from work. We know that more than around 50% of Tucson kids qualify for state funded childcare and that 20-40% of families are currently paying for after school care through a TUSD aftercare program, the City of Tucson Kidco program, a neighborhood center recreation hours, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA, Child and Family Resources or another program. Bringing together these funding sources into a single universal aftercare system will improve outcomes for kids and make Tucson a destination for companies looking to hire workers from young families.
DUI Court
Driving under the influence is a serious problem and should be addressed seriously by our courts. Unfortunately, a single DUI arrest can negatively impact the rest of an individual’s life, reducing chances of employment and/or college acceptance and increasing insurance rates. A DUI conviction can make it difficult to rent an apartment and can even lead to the loss of employment in some situations. Some innovative people in Green Valley have been piloting a program that, after significant work put in by the DUI offender, can lead to a non-felony charge. Ward 2 has been meeting with law enforcement colleagues in Green Valley about bringing this program to Tucson. Graduates of the program are required to remain sober for 6 months and can leave the program with a reduced conviction.
Accessibility for All
Because of Tucson’s rich history, many structures in the Old Pueblo (especially downtown) were built before the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) and can be difficult to access for those of us with mobility challenges. Almost 80,000 Tucsonans have difficulty climbing stairs, but we have stairs EVERYWHERE in our city. Unfortunately, many business owners are not familiar with ADA requirements and are afraid to broach the topic of accessibility. Ward 2 is working with Downtown Tucson Partnership to develop a program to help shepherd business owners through the challenges of renovating older buildings with accessibility in mind. There are some great federal tax credit and deduction programs that can make these modifications feasible for business owners.” Good access means great business.”
All Abilities Playground
All children and families deserve a place to play. Unfortunately, many children and their families who have disabilities do not have a safe, welcoming and fun place to play that caters to their unique playground needs. Currently, the only public play options that are accessible to community members with disabilities are private businesses, an accessible play space at Reid Park and the Milagro playground at Jacobs Park, west of Oracle Road, 12 miles away from our proposed project. The Office of Paul Cunningham, Ward 2 is proposing a series of All Abilities play parks on Tucson’s Eastside to provide safe, welcoming and fun places for the tens of thousands of children with disabilities in the Tucson area.
Paratransit
We’ve got a volunteer at Ward 2 who is doing some great work for the city who regularly uses SunVan. Though he books his pickup and drop off for the same time each day, he can get dropped off at the Ward 2 office as early as 7:45am or it can be as late as 10am. As our city continues to grow, the shared ride model for paratransit just doesn’t work as well, especially for those who do not live downtown or in midtown. Ward 2 has been meeting with transit operators across the country to learn different ways that other systems offer accessible rides to the community. The one we like the most is a “premium” level service option in which the existing shared ride model continues and continues to be free of charge, however we layer 3rd party on demand service as a low cost option for the rider.
Homeless Outreach
Ward 2 has our own in house Homeless Outreach Specialist so that we can pay special attention to camps and needy people on the East side of town. The Council Member is fully aware of the homeless crisis that is seen throughout the city and in a small way, having a dedicated homeless outreach specialist for the ward helps to touch just the surface of this crisis that will take more than just local government to solve.
Regular Community Service
The Ward 2 team regularly engages in community service projects. Whether it is cleaning up a wash or an abandoned homeless camp, prepping packs of food and other necessities for our homeless neighbors, repainting the goalposts at a park or filling potholes we try to have a project every week. Call us to learn more about these projects or to get on our email list of volunteers!
Wednesday Hoops and Thursday Strings
We’ve already mentioned how important it is to have enriching activities for young people after school. Since we don’t yet have universal aftercare, Ward 2 has been partnering with the Tucson Buckets (Tucson’s semi-pro ABA basketball team) on a Wednesday hoops program. Young people have a chance to get some pointers from members of the Buckets every Wednesday during the school year at Jesse Owens park. We hope to expand this program to other parts of the city as capacity increases. In 2024, we plan to add a “Thursday Strings” music program hosted at Ward 2 as a place for musical youth to hang out on Thursday afternoons, develop their musical skills and talents and meet new friends!