ElIndeNews.com

Susie Huerta sits in the driver's seat of a Pima County Health Department bus while a man counts out more than 100 used needles he is finished with.

"Hold them up so I can count them," Huerta says, but this man knows the drill. His syringes are bundled in tens, and he holds up each bundle so she can count them before he drops them in the medical waste container in front of him. 

A lack of funding nearly caused the House of Neighborly Service to shut down in 2008, but now the social-service program is under new direction and a number of new programs are being offered to the community.

A lack of funding nearly caused the House of Neighborly Service to shut down in 2008, but now the social-service program is under new direction and a number of new programs are being offered to the community.

Non-profit organizations like Our Family Services and Humane Borders also helped resurrect the community center.

"House of Neighborly Service (HNS) is alive and well," says Frank Bouchard, president of the HNS board. "We get to re-invent ourselves. The sky is the limit."

Mitza Molina strolled into the Kino Community Teen Center at East Ajo Way on a warm April afternoon for a routine check-up. The Desert View High School grad and current University of Arizona student has received primary care at the south side clinic since she was 16, even though she has no health insurance.

"I feel comfortable coming here without my parents," says Molina, 19, who like many teenage girls, was uncomfortable asking her parents for birth control. "Some parents would just kill their kids if they found out they were having sex."

Families with children age three to five who are "high-risk" in terms of poverty will receive training as part of the research done by UA Associate Professor Angela Taylor and her colleagues.

The training includes education in effective discipline, communication, reducing conflicts, healthy eating habits, physical education and improving children's readiness for school, Taylor said.

Taxes can be daunting, but a local program is offering free tax preparation to working families as the April deadline approaches.

The United Way of Tucson's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) helps Pima County residents of low to moderate income receive the maximum in federal tax refunds.

A non-profit organization is rising to the challenge of completing the San Agustín Mission Gardens, a project that was halted due to a lack of funds. The gardens, located along the west bank of the Santa Cruz River, were started in early 2000 as part of Tucson’s Rio Nuevo project.

However, the city manager put a hold on the project last May, said Peg Weber of Tucson Parks and Recreation.

The cultural vibe of the neighborhoods surrounding South Park Avenue recently received an economic boost.

Two grants were awarded to the South Park community by People, Resources and Organizations in Support of Neighborhoods. A $5,000 grant was given to the South Park Arts and Culture Center and a $4,850 grant to the South Park Neighbors.

Mobile Meals of Tucson celebrates its 40th birthday this year. Since 1970, the volunteer-based organization has delivered two meals a day, five days a week to Tucson's homebound in need of special diets.

Jeanne Miller, volunteer and public relations coordinator, said Mobile Meals delivers food Monday through Friday to more than 200 people between the ages of 21 and 101.

Miller said all meals are prepared at local hospitals in accordance with a doctor-prescribed diet specific to each individual's needs. Some of the special diets may be low in salt, heart healthy or include soft foods for those who have difficulty chewing.

Volunteer drivers deliver meals to the same eight clients a day to form a relationship with the people, Miller said. She said it is important for both the clients and their families that they do "well checks."

The volunteers are trained to recognize warning signs vital to clients' well-being. Miller said volunteers have saved clients' lives before by finding that a client has fallen, recognizing signs of depression or noticing that clients are not eating their meals.

Many of their clients live alone, Miller said, and the Mobile Meals service allows them to maintain independence.

"We're trying to give them that dignity and enable them to stay in their homes," she said.

For survivors of sexual assault or domestic violence, it can often feel like there is nowhere to turn and no resources to access.

It’s even worse for an undocumented immigrant who speaks only Spanish.

Those in this position are often deprived of the therapy, support and legal services needed to heal.
Providing these essential services is the central mission of Su Voz Vale, an organization in South Tucson that is a subsidiary of the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault.  

Tucson Urban League is offering emergency help with heating bills to low-income families in need of assistance in the South Tucson area. 

A family must have an income lower than 200 percent of the federal poverty level in order to qualify for assistance. For example, a family of four will only qualify if they make under $3,675 a month.