Tucson Spotlight is rolling out our basic needs hub, the first of five resource hubs on our website, connecting Tucsonans to trusted local organizations working on housing, food access, health care, and employment support.

The hub grew directly out of Tucson Spotlight's Information Ecosystem Assessment, a months-long listening effort that surveyed residents across Pima County about what information and resources they struggle to find. Basic needs — food, shelter, health care — came up again and again, especially among South Tucson and Spanish-speaking residents.

Rather than just publish findings, Tucson Spotlight is building something residents can actually use: a living, bilingual directory pointing people toward organizations already doing the work, from food pantries and free clinics to shelters and job-training programs.

Our Basic Needs hub is the first of five planned hubs. Immigration, Civic Participation, Infrastructure, and Education will follow, each tied to the issue areas residents flagged most often in the IEA.

The complete hub will officially launch alongside a bilingual community resource and volunteer fair, where residents can meet the organizations featured in the hub, learn about volunteer opportunities, and hear directly from Tucson Spotlight about what the IEA uncovered.

It's designed as a two-way exchange: the newsroom shares what it learned from the community, and the community leaves with resources and connections it can use immediately and keep using long after the event ends.

You can read more about our IEA findings here and stay tuned for details about our resource fair, planned for this fall.

Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation.