TUCSON, ARIZONA. — I Am You 360, a Tucson nonprofit that houses vulnerable and formerly homeless youth, plans to build a second small-home community with an anonymous donor and will also expand its hygiene dispensary to a new partner site.
Desiree Cook, the nonprofit’s president and CEO, announced the plans on the Nov. 13 episode of The Bob Elliott Show. She said the first site’s residents have each saved nearly $4,000 toward buying a home since moving in.
“We will be replicating our housing movement as well, with an anonymous donor,” Cook said, adding that the address will be shared so the community can get involved.
A dollar a square foot
Cook said the organization’s housing model charges $1 per square foot, and that it will keep that commitment wherever it builds. The current units are 450-square-foot, one-bedroom homes with a washer and dryer, she said.
Half of each resident’s rent goes into escrow toward a down payment, Cook said. Residents also receive training in financial literacy, credit and taxes.
By the numbers:
- $1 per square foot: the rent standard Cook said I Am You 360 will keep at every site
- 450 square feet: the size of each one-bedroom home at the first site, per Cook
- $450 a month: the rent residents pay, Cook said
- 50% of rent: the share placed in escrow toward homeownership
- Nearly $4,000: what residents have saved since moving in on Mother’s Day last year, Cook said
- 3 years: the length of the program, after which Cook said residents should have enough for a starter home
Residents moving into careers
Cook said residents now include commercial truck drivers and a dental hygienist. She said one resident was hired after an internship with children with special needs and is working toward becoming a speech therapist.
Another resident is starting his own logistics trucking company, Cook said, and has pledged to donate back to the program. She said other residents have since said they want to give as well.
Cook said the gated community also offers safety to a population at risk of sex and human trafficking, drug addiction and incarceration. “The crisis is loud, but I Am You 360 wants to make sure we’re louder than a crisis,” she said.
Hygiene as dignity
Cook said the nonprofit started in her living room 12 years ago, focused on providing name-brand hygiene products to children in foster care every six weeks. She said hygiene affects school attendance, academic success and bullying.
She said products must fit different hair and skin needs, and that the group teaches a class called “Your Hair Is Your Crown” for youth and caregivers. Cook said the hygiene dispensary will be replicated with a partner whose name will be announced soon.
Book signing Nov. 20
Cook said she has written a book about her path from addiction and losing custody of her children to founding the nonprofit. She said she hopes it gives hope to people who feel stuck.
A book signing party will be held Nov. 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Quincie Douglas Community Center. Cook said Ward 5 Councilmember Selina Barajas is hosting the event.
The Bob Elliott Show airs Fridays at 9 a.m. Arizona time on the Live The Dream Media Streamverse Network and the free Live The Dream Media app. The Nov. 20 episode features Jenny Flynn of the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona.
