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Originally Posted by AZ71
I agree with you. Elderly people frequent doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and grocery stores. None of those are downtown. It would have been smarter to build this within walking distance to TMC, Banner or NW Hospitals.
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I left Tucson 2 years ago but worked in outpatient behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment facilities in Tucson starting in 2014. I wanted to make sure we differentiate between low-income and elderly people. Though elderly people may often be low-income (or more appropriately, fixed-income), not all low-income people are elderly (nor are all elderly people low-income).
Though it may not make downtown more "vibrant" there are certain advantages for low-income residents being downtown. This area provides easy access to many county government type offices that may need to be utilized. The main Tucson library is downtown which may be beneficial to people who cannot afford internet access in their residences. Many neighborhoods in Tucson do not have good walkability including many with few to no sidewalks. Again, not all low-income people have disabilities but some do and having good sidewalks is vital for these individuals. Downtown is also home to the Ronstadt Center, the main public transportation hub in the city, allowing close access to busses to almost anywhere in the city, as well as close access to the street car. This is crucial to those who cannot afford their own means of transportation. And though not all low-income individuals have behavioral health, mental health, or substance use disorders, the area is in close proximity to various social services type centers including La Frontera's main office on 29th & I-10, their opioid treatment program 'Hope Center' behind the Children's Museum, the Southern Arizona Aids Foundation (SAAF) on Euclid just south of Broadway, El Rio's office on Congress just west of I-10, and others.