I Am You 360 ™
Plant Seeds of Hope and Watch Our Youth Grow and Become Fruitful.
Location
Office Location: 1131 S. Van Buren Ave (off 22nd St. near Craycroft)
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 9-12 PM (Except holidays, Spring and Fall Break)
Office Phone: 520-372-2714
Mailing Address: PO Box 16161 Tucson, AZ 85732
QFCO– Qualified Foster Charitable Organization – 11067 501c3 – Tax Deductible
Tiny homes for former foster youths to be built soon in Tucson
A local nonprofit that will provide tiny homes for young people transitioning out of foster care will soon be pouring concrete and framing six homes, thanks to a hefty boost in pandemic-related funding.
I Am You 360 was started in late 2013 by Desiree Cook. During its first several years, the group’s primary focus was providing bags filled with full-size hygiene products customized and prepared for local youths in foster care.
Who We Are…
I AM YOU 360™ is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
I Am You 360 is an award-winning, forward thinking, progressive, innovative, led by an African American woman and is leading in diversity and inclusion Desiree Cook’s lived experience inspired her to revolutionize a movement called “I Am Somebody”.
The State of Arizona is home to 20,000 vulnerable youth. They are saying “I AM Somebody”.
They are not a barcode or a file in a cabinet. They must be unmuted. Their voices must be heard. They must be treated with dignity and the respect they deserve, to feel dignified and not be judged by their circumstance. Through self-awareness, self-development, and the development of life skills, this is possible. The “I Am Somebody” movement is holding the privileged community, City, and State accountable for encouraging investment now or paying the ultimate price later.
I Am You 360 chooses to pay NOW. “I Am You 360,” provides an array of holistic services and programs in the following ways: We believe in empowering the whole person by providing personalized and customized hygiene according to age, gender, and ethnicity, 10-week self-development curriculum, life development, safe housing, and homeownership.
It is our desire, our passion to remove the bandaid and empower our most vulnerable youth. Sow them back into the fabric of our community by building their self-worth, self-esteem, and self-love. We can break the cycle and create generational change in the following ways: Personalization and Customization to fit the unique needs of those we serve.
Because “I Am You 360” believes in the empowerment of the whole person, we offer the “I Am You 360” homeownership program for homeless young adults ages 18-22, particularly those who have aged out of foster care.
Will you join the “I Am You 360” movement?
There is over 20,000 most vulnerable youth (Semi-Annual Child Welfare Reporting Period July 1, 2020- December 31, 2020) I Am You 360 has served over 3,000 youth and families with our programs and services within Pima County, Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Tohona Odham Tribe, and Maricopa County.
What We Do…
I Am You 360 has gone above and beyond to give back to community through a unique blend of philanthropy and community assistance, by creating employment, mentoring, and development opportunities for youth.
Hygiene Dispensary
I Am You 360™ has been dedicated since its inception in 2014 to ensure that the most vulnerable youth and families have their customized and personalized hygiene needs are met.
Each hygiene bag is refilled every 6 weeks to promote a healthy hygiene routine, develop self-esteem, confidence, self-worth, and overall well-being.
Due to COVID-19 our office hours and availability have changed. We will keep you posted with updates.
Learn More
I Am Somebody Curriculum/Mentoring
I Am You 360 has developed a 10-week copyrighted curriculum to help develop:
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Esteem
- How to be Good to your Mind
- Positive Thinking
I Am You 360 offers a wide range of diverse ways to be a part of our amazing mentoring programs/events.
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Phase 1 Safe Housing
In June 2021, I Am You 360 was donated a 10 unit complex each unit is 350 square feet.
We are honored to share that on August 24th, 2021, 10 most vulnerable youth adults 18-22 years of age were safely housed in newly renovated and fully furnished apartments with the help of our community donors. Each resident pays $1.00 per square foot in rent.
Each deleted resident can now safely thrive. As a part of our housing program, each resident must be:
- Gainfully Employed
- Engage in secondary education,
- Community Service
- Participate in self-development and life skills.
Learn More
Small Home Experience LLC
I Am You 360
This will be Tucson’s first green, energy-efficient, tiny home community.
I Am You 360 is dedicated to improving outcomes for aged-out foster care or experiencing homelessness (18-22) by providing safe, permanent housing with direct and long-term impact, by sewing our most vulnerable population back into the fabric of our community.
Criteria include:
- Gainful Employment
- Education
- Community Service
- Self-Development
- Life skills
- Economic financial literacy to complete a 2-3 year program with homeownership.
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Your Hair is Your Crown
An Innovative African American Hair Care Class
You’ll be receiving a wealth of information:
- 51-minute Video
- Hair Myth Busters
- Quiz
- Certificate in Ethnic Hair and Skin Education
- 20% of proceeds will go to I Am You 360 Hygiene Empowerment Bag Program.
Learn More
Honors and Awards include:
- 2021 Recognized by The Tucson (AZ) Chapter of the Links, Incorporated presents Two Women Who Did “Rhythm Matters: Healthy Heart, Healthy Minds”.
- 2020 Awarded funding from the Arizona COVID-19 Community Response Fund, a component fund of the Arizona Community Foundation.
- 2019 $10,000 grant received from the African American Legacy Fund.
- 2019 Better Business Bureau Torch Award (Nonprofit Category Ethics, Honesty, and Integrity)
- 2019 Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., Community Service Award
- 2016 Eta Epsilon Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Sorority Incorporated Community Service Award for Leadership and Dedication of Service to the Tucson Community
- 2016 Vantage West Credit Union Non-Profit of the Year
- 2015 Racial Reconciliation Community Outreach Network Award for Dedication to Improving Race Relations
- 2021 Community Foundation for Southern Arizona African American Legacy Fund
News & Events
Tucson program strives to end homelessness for young adults
Tucson program strives to end homelessness for young adults TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Unless homelessness is tackled at a young age, it can become a lifelong issue. Young adults, who oftentimes don’t make enough money to live on their own, frequently slip through...
‘I’m here and it still feels unreal’: I Am You 360 gives vulnerable adults housing
I Am You 360- KGUN 9 Housing homeless and vulnerable young adults is one local nonprofit’s goal. I Am You 360 is ready to hand the keys over to ten young adults to help even the playing field for them. “I’m here and it still feels unreal," said Bameem Alvotaify, the...
Local non-profit gives safe housing to vulnerable young adults
By: Ciara Encinas Posted at 9:01 PM, Aug 14, 2021 TUCSON, Ariz. — From 2019 to 2020, the Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness said there was a 60.3 percent increase in unsheltered homelessness in our region. I Am You 360, a local non-profit, is working...
This is Tucson:Help this Tucson nonprofit change lives one tiny home at a time
For the last seven years, Desiree Cook has been on a mission to transform the lives of Tucson’s most vulnerable youth — those who are in foster care or experiencing homelessness. It’s something she’s been doing through I Am You 360, the non-profit she started in 2014...
I want to thank you for the information in your class. I was able to learn some new things on how to care for my girls hair. I especially appreciated learning to detangle prior to shampooing, detangling after conditioning as well as the tools for taking care of their hair.
I would recommend your class for the new foster parent who has no experience caring for curly natural hair.
Thank you so much for the class and all the information.
– Staci B.
I really liked this one because they made me feel more confident about myself and show who I am.
– Destiny C.
Something that I took out of this presentation is how she told us all that we were Queens and Kings, and said we are all special in our own way. She also said don’t change yourself to be like others.
– Ashley N.
They said to act like Queens, we should be nice to people and respect others. And they were saying help others and have confidence.
– B.D.
Spending time with you has encouraged me by boosting myself confidence and being able to have a strong female role model to look up to ans share parts of myself that most people don’t know.
– Alexis C.
I was finally able to find some folks in need of hygiene bags. She gave me permission to share her story and take this photo.
She is attempting to strike it out on her own and get out of a bad relationship. She was trying to get on her feet so that she could protect her children. With your help we gave her one less thing to worry about.
– Officer Apodaca
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Hygiene Dispensary Drop-off/Pickup & Office Tour Hours due to COVID:
Monday 9am - 12pm
Wednesday 9am - 12pm
Friday 9am - 12pm
