Phillip Bernard was sitting in a Pima County jail cell in August 2019 believing his life was over.
With a string of arrests and two prior theft convictions already on his record, Bernard had just been caught after being on the lam for a few months.
Now 32, heâd been struggling with drug addiction that started when he was 14 years old.
âI did a lot of things Iâm not very proud of,â Bernard said. âI put my family through a lot.â
Despite help through COPE Community Services, without a stable place to live, a job or sense of purpose, it didnât take long before he was back to his old ways. Yet as he sat on the concrete booking benches at the Pima County jail, Bernard knew something had to give.
By Loni Nannini Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Itâs beginning to look a lot like a COVID Christmas, so toy and donation drives are a little bit different and a lot more socially distant, but Tucsonans can still find ample opportunity to spread cheer to the less fortunate.
Those who prefer in-kind, adopt-a-family-style donations can give new, unwrapped toys and warm clothing for 200 recently homeless families through February 1 at Old Pueblo Community Services, 4501 E. 5th St.
The local nonprofit, which utilizes a âhousing firstâ model in its approach to eradicating homelessness, has assisted 1,800 people with attaining housing since the onset of the pandemic.