Tucson operates bridge-housing sites and sanctioned outdoor shelter under its Housing First strategy, including motel-conversion projects and the Empowerment Center. Land-use approvals are streamlined under the Unified Development Code, Chapter 23.
Tucson's Housing and Community Development Department leads bridge housing through motel acquisitions funded by ARPA and HUD HOME-ARP, partnerships with Old Pueblo Community Services and Primavera Foundation, and a sanctioned-camp pilot at the city-owned Empowerment Center. The Unified Development Code at Chapter 23, as amended by Ordinance 11929, allows transitional shelter and supportive housing as permitted uses in most multi-family and mixed-use zones, removing prior special-exception requirements. The city coordinates intake through TPCH's Coordinated Entry system, prioritizes chronic homelessness, and offers wraparound services. Bridge sites are time-limited stops on the way to permanent supportive housing, not long-term shelters.
Bridge-housing operations that fail UDC standards can be cited under Chapter 23, but Tucson's permissive zoning rarely triggers enforcement when projects use approved partner agencies.
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