It is 5:30 a.m. on a Monday morning – half of Tucson is still asleep, along with the sun. But not the Homeless Work Program’s lead specialist, Dezeri Marsh: She is busy packing candies, electrolytes and water in the Old Pueblo Community Services’ minivan, getting ready to meet the eight program participants of the day.
Marsh herself is no stranger to homelessness – she was unhoused for years before joining the Homeless Work Program four years ago. After getting housing and defeating her addiction, she says she’s determined to give back to the community through the program.
“This program is not designed for somebody who's going to get up the next day and go get a job or something like that,” she said. “This is for the people that are falling behind that we don't want to let slip through the cracks and just leave out there with nothing.”
Through the initiative, participants complete various tasks around the city – in today’s case, environmental cleanups – for minimum wage. Participants can earn up to $75 a day and $585 a year.
“You don't need ID, you don't need to be sane, you don't need to be sober,” Marsh said. “You just got to be willing to come out and follow some simple rules and work safely.”
Arriving at Casa del Pueblo, a congregate shelter housing both men and women near Rudy Garcia Park, Marsh checks everybody in and gives some quick instructions before heading out to the first location.
“Everybody, make sure you wear your gloves, no treasure hunting! I’m not even going to turn around and look, he knows exactly who I’m talking about,” Marsh laughs. “No drugs, alcohol or drama in the next five hours, I will have you guys back by 11:15.”
The eight-person team began its assignment of the day: cleaning some illegal roadside dumping in three locations. As the program’s funding – including trailer and equipment – comes from the City of Tucson Environmental Services, most assignments are given by the city.
Most of the team has worked together before, and it shows – they are a well-oiled machine. They eventually clean up the midtown alley from the dumped mattresses and couches in a few minutes, which they then unload at Los Reales Landfill.
One of the team members, Daniel, shares that he has been part of the program for the past five years.
“After I overdosed and got out of the hospital, I went to a rehab center, and then I just slowly had to have patience to get you sober. I don’t like to just walk downtown and people look at you like I’m nobody. I want to feel like I’m part of society,” he said.
Old Pueblo Community Services CEO Tom Litwicki, whose company heads the Homeless Work Program, says the biggest misconception is that the unhoused don’t want to work.
“We literally have waiting lists at shelters, or lotteries that shelters run because so many people want to do the work,” he said. “I think we have this misconception that people who are unsheltered may not be working, but it has a lot to do with access to employment.”
Another Homeless Work Program participant, Channa, is Native American. She said she worked in behavioral health for 13 years, but had no savings when she eventually quit her job last April. Then, she got evicted from her house in September.
“I have to know that my higher power has me here going through this,” she said. “Wherever he blesses me with a job is where I will be able to better serve people in the community that are going through this homelessness crisis. And I have to be equipped with emotional and mental support – we just have to go through this, and it’s going to be okay.”
Channa said she is part of an organization that offers classes to Native American women in rehabilitation, which gives her day-to-day motivation.
“Even though I'm in the space where I'm at, I still get up, suit up and show up where I'm needed and when I'm needed,” she said.
While the Homeless Work Program gives people an opportunity to earn their own money, Litwicki says its funding is limited. Currently, the budget allows up to three drivers and eight work days per year per unhoused participant.
“Our goal is to sort of keep what we have and to make sure it can continue to operate until we see sunnier days when there's maybe more funding,” he said.
Since the program started in 2016, it served more than 4,000 people. Litwicki says the program works – and it benefits the community.
“So many people have been raised around homelessness like this that they think it's normal and it's like this is not normal for the United States. We don't have to live this way,” he said.
