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Primavera’s mission and vision
Mission
The Primavera Foundation provides pathways out of poverty through safe, affordable housing, workforce development and neighborhood revitalization.
Vision
Primavera promotes economic and social justice while working to build a future in which all people are assured basic human rights, a livable income, and safe, affordable housing.
Philosophy
Primavera is dedicated to addressing poverty and homelessness by acknowledging the intrinsic worth of every individual.
Primavera's Areas of Support
Each year Primavera’s programs impact more than five thousand individuals and families living in southern Arizona. Through partnerships with program participants, volunteers, neighborhoods, and a wide variety of community based organizations, businesses, and public entities; Primavera provides four areas of support:
Survival – For many men, women and families who are homeless, the first step to getting off the streets is connecting to one of Primavera’s emergency services programs where they will find immediate relief and shelter as they recover from economic crisis. These programs often serve as the first stepping-stone out of poverty, assisting people to acquire the information and skills needed to live independently and offset future crises.
Stability – Primavera helps men, women and families who are homeless transition to a stable lifestyle by providing safe, affordable housing and steady employment.
Security –Primavera provides a variety of financial education and asset-building services, including incentive-based savings plans as it partners with individuals and families seeking long term financial empowerment.
Sustainability – Primavera’s commitment to social and economic justice in the context of vibrant and revitalized neighborhoods has challenged the organization to integrate its neighborhood revitalization and community engagement activities. The strategy is to integrate community development and community engagement by strengthening resident leadership development and organizing across sectors with multiple community partners in targeted neighborhoods.
Primavera's Guiding Principles
We honor participants, coworkers, local neighborhoods, volunteers and the larger community through our commitment to the following guiding principles:
Integrity
- We exhibit honesty, patience, and tolerance in dealing with others.
- We are truthful in our interactions, make and keep promises, and accept and offer constructive criticism.
- We take responsibility for our actions and decisions and avoid placing blame on others.
- We are reliable in completing tasks and fulfilling commitments to others.
- Our discussions are open and we make information available to all concerned.
- We refrain from speaking negatively about others and apologize when appropriate.
Respect
- We work to build trust and confidence.
- We honor confidentiality, and maintain appropriate boundaries.
- We welcome different opinions and agree to disagree.
- We are professional and ethical in our treatment of others.
- We seek out others’ points of view and demonstrate support of coworkers.
Accountability
- We recognize our responsibility to donors and participants for appropriate stewardship of the resources and trust invested in us.
- We base the goals of our activities on our mission and shared vision.
- We continuously evaluate and strive to meet the needs of participants, staff, and volunteers.
- We work together to accomplish desired outcomes, demonstrate a commitment to organizational goals, and hold ourselves accountable for the agency’s effectiveness.
- We each fulfill our specific responsibilities in the organization, and acknowledge and value the roles/ responsibilities held by others.
Compassion
- We offer caring and sensitivity to each other and participants.
- We promote an atmosphere of tolerance, inclusion, and good humor.
- We are sympathetic to the needs of others and seek to alleviate that suffering through compassion and the pursuit of our mission/goals.
- We value diversity and confront discrimination and injustice of any form.
Leadership
- We create a safe, trusting and stable environment where the individual and group can take risks and assume leadership.
- We recognize and reward participation, risk-taking, and leadership.
- We respect questioning and self-examination, and understand that growth and creativity often require risk-taking and change.
- As leaders, we strive to find the balance between following and leading within groups.
- We take a lead role in advocacy issues that are the foundation of Primavera’s mission.
The history of Primavera
The Primavera Foundation began in the early 1980’s as a response to the growing numbers of homeless individuals on the streets of Tucson. In 1983, Gordon Packard and Nancy Bissell organized a large group of volunteers to begin the St. Martin’s Soup Kitchen. Their guiding principle was that every individual has intrinsic worth and deserves to be treated with respect and compassion. Shortly thereafter, the neighborhood where the Kitchen was located filed a lawsuit to shut down the Kitchen. The court challenge went all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court and St. Martin’s was ultimately ordered to close. From that experience Nancy and Gordon moved on to renovate Pueblo Court into supportive housing for the seriously mentally ill, and they raised money to build the Primavera Men’s Shelter, which still provides shelter to up to 100 men each night, 365 days per year.
Advocacy and social change are also at the forefront of Primavera’s work and mission. In 1988, Primavera worked with the Arizona Justice Institute to file a complaint with the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) against Western Savings and MeraBank for alleged discriminatory lending practices. Both institutions agreed to provide $100 million for low-interest loans in designated low- and moderate-income neighborhoods in Tucson and Phoenix. Then, in 2008, Primavera worked with a group of organizations, including Arizonans for Responsible Lending and the Southwest Center for Economic Integrity, to defeat Proposition 200. Prop. 200 was a citizens’ ballot initiative that would have made charging triple digit interest rates on payday loans permanently legal in the state of Arizona. Even though the payday loan industry outspent opponents by a ratio of 64-1, voters defeated the initiative. In 2010, the ability to charge over 36% interest for payday loans was no longer permitted.
Primavera has expanded its services and advocacy work over the past 27 years to include: workforce development programs that help people return to work; develop job skills and provide special assistance to former prisoners; rental housing that provides stable, long-term and affordable solutions to the community’s lack of affordable, safe housing; Financial Education, HomeOwnership and Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention workshops that help families work towards financial security; Neighborhood Revitalization programs that help neighborhoods become communities of choice; and proactive Community Engagement that provides communities with sustainable solutions to issues.
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Primavera's Board of Directors
Primavera’s Board of Directors has sole fiduciary responsibility for the organization. The people who make up the Board are as diverse as the population we serve. One-third of the Board members are low-income and/or reside in low-income neighborhoods and several of our Board members are current or past participants. Our co-founders, Nancy Bissell and Gordon Packard, continue to be an active and integral part of Primavera as members of the Board. The group meets six times a year on the second Monday of the month at our Training Center.
Click here to view the current Board of Directors.
The Primavera Squash Blossom
One understanding of the word Primavera is Spring. The squash blossom logo is also a reflection of Spring, of renewal, of rebirth and of new beginnings. Our name and our logo reflect the purpose of all of our programs, including both direct services and community building and organizing, to proclaim the humanity and worth of every individual. We believe that every person has the right to start again from a safe place and with adequate support. For those who find they are struggling with homelessness and poverty, Primavera’s programs offer that place.
Primavera's Springboard
Primavera Foundation's quarterly publication provides information the life of the organization, highlighting grant awards, donors, events, participants and other great information about Primavera.
Enjoy issues today:
If you would like to sign up to receive our newsletter, please click here to email our Development Department.
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Primavera's funding
Primavera has a diversified funding base that helps it to remain a financially healthy and sustainable organization. We employ a variety of fundraising strategies throughout the year to generate revenue. These include: government contracts, corporate and foundation grants, individual donations, events and planned giving.
Read more about our fundraising efforts in our annual reports.
| 2009 - 2010 Annual Report |
| 2008 - 2009 Annual Report |
| 2007 - 2008 Annual Report |
Other documents:
Primavera’s community partners
Primavera recognizes that other organizations in our community share a deep commitment to ending poverty and homelessness. Part of Primavera’s strength comes through strategic and mutually beneficial partnerships with other agencies in our community.
Click here to see our Community Partnerships map.
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