Tucson nonprofits are bracing for potential cuts to federal revenue streams in the wake of a White House memo stating that all federal assistance programs would pause funding to evaluate spending.

The memo was rescinded two days later following widespread backlash, but not before leaving organizations wondering about what future actions the government might take.

In Tucson, organizations like Sonoran Prevention Works are already preparing for drastic cuts.

The organization specializes in harm reduction for people with substance use issues, offering needle exchanges, fentanyl test strips, and access to medication-assisted treatment and opioid reversal drugs, among other resources.

It also receives 92% of its funding from the federal government.

In 2023, Sonoran Prevention Works’ employees and volunteers engaged with nearly 7,800 people, administering 166,494 naloxone doses. The organization’s efforts contributed to 4,420 known opioid reversals, according to its annual report.

Sonoran Prevention Works Development Director Jess Patrick said that the day the memo was released, staff was in a panic and their work was essentially halted.

“Obviously, we were panicking for our jobs, but also for the communities that we work and serve in, knowing that our resources could be taken out of commission at any moment,” Patrick said. “Because we do so much work across the state, the number of communities and households that would have been affected by us being shut down is astronomical.”

They were able to continue outreach that day, but administrative activities stopped.

“It was such an abrupt thing that we immediately had to make a plan B, C and D and evaluate all of our programming to see if it falls in line with the administration,” Patrick said.

They discussed how the organization would continue its work if resources were gone and advised employees to update their resumes in the event of staffing cuts.

“We’re still figuring everything out, but some of the things we’re trying to do is pass out literature in the community to let people know how to prepare if our resources aren't available, where else to find resources or to get help,” Patrick said. “Who knows what will come next? It’s hard to predict.”

Whatever the future holds, Patrick said they will do their best to continue their work.

“Harm reduction is essential for a healthy society, for a healthy community, and the work that we do across Arizona is making sure people who need naloxone or Narcan have that as a resource,” Patrick said. “People stay alive when they have those resources.”

While Sonoran Prevention Works is a nonprofit, it started as a grassroots organization in Phoenix, with people using bicycles to hand out supplies to loved ones.

“Those of us who work within the nonprofit do this in our free time as well because the passion is there, so we will always find ways to regroup to make sure that the work continues,” Patrick said.

A week after the memo was rescinded, local organizations, including Sonoran Prevention Works, met in a space on Fourth Avenue to discuss future plans.

Community Care, Gator-Aid, Amphi Liberation Mutual Aid and No More Deaths were also on hand for the planning session.

Community Care provides outreach and supplies to the homeless throughout Tucson but receives no funding from the federal government, except tangentially through a grant from the Community Food Bank of Arizona, which receives some funding from the government.

“We were not affected by the funding freeze because most of our funding comes from individuals, so it wasn’t really a concern for us,” said Community Care organizer Tate Williams. “That’s the great thing about being a community-based organization. When you have these federal currents that throw everything into disarray and make people terrified, we have the comfort of knowing that we are funded by the people.”

Williams said that although the group is funded by individuals, volunteers remain worried since the communities they serve are among the ones being targeted by the Trump administration.

“We’ve discussed our security protocol, like what do we do if ICE conducts a raid while we’re at the park doing a distribution, or do we need to be more careful about how we message each other,” Williams said.

It’s also unclear if police will change the way they engage with mutual aid groups, Williams said.

“So far, we have been fortunate that we have a balance with the city and police. We do what we do, and they let us, but there is the concern about what if there is a crackdown on these kinds of things,” Williams said. “It’s the uncertainty and the nervousness that’s getting to us. But we’re going to do what we do no matter what.”

Every Saturday, Amphi Liberation Mutual Aid can be found at Amphi Park, providing food, hygiene products, clothing and other resources for unhoused individuals.

“In an area like Amphi that has a ton of folks that are low income, it is really infuriating to see that these people are going to be struggling more just to have stable living,” said ALMA volunteer Xavier Martinez. 

Martinez said that although the services they provide are essential, the group recognizes that it is only a bandage. 

“It doesn’t really address the systemic issues that a lot of the people we are engaging with deal with,” Martinez said. “This means that we have to get the attention of the city to really push for changes that are grand sweeping, and more effective in dealing with housing insecurity, food insecurity, substance abuse and mental illness.”

Martinez said that while some people might not agree with what they believe are the organization’s “Leftist ideologies,” that shouldn’t be the only focus of their work.

“What comes first is community care, and that is the only way that we can address these issues with other members of the community that don’t fully see, or understand where we’re coming from,” Martinez said. “We want to address it in a way so that everyone here understands that we are coming from a place of compassion, and that we’re just trying to reduce the harm that’s continued to perpetuate throughout the last decade here in Tucson.”

Colton Allder is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact him at callder1995@arizona.edu.

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