Tempe Community Action Agency (TCAA) Health, Housing and Human Services Center
Rooted in Community
For more than 50 years, the Tempe Community Action Agency has served the East Valley with programs that support health, housing and human services. Its new facility brings those efforts together under one roof, creating a purpose-built center designed to grow alongside the community it supports. Working as an integrated design-build team, RSP and CHASSE Building Team partnered closely with TCAA leadership, staff and volunteers to shape a welcoming, human-centered environment grounded in the principles of Trauma-Informed Design. The result is a facility that honors dignity, safety and well-being while establishing a strong and lasting civic presence.
On a tight site, the building balances openness with security and privacy with transparency. A double-height, light-filled entry sets the tone, leading to a first floor dedicated to community support spaces including a welcome center, commercial kitchen, food pantry and multipurpose rooms for education and training. The pantry is organized to resemble a neighborhood grocery store, offering participants autonomy and reducing stigma. An overnight / emergency shelter, transitional housing and administrative offices occupy the second floor, where proximity between staff and residents reinforces connection and care. A central atrium with clerestory windows draws daylight deep into the building, improving wellness and reducing energy demand through passive strategies and careful solar orientation.
The design draws inspiration from the site’s history as the home of Watson’s Flowers and from TCAA’s early community garden roots. Bright colors, organic forms and custom botanical graphics celebrate growth and renewal, while a durable palette of concrete masonry, wood trusses, metal and glass ensures longevity and ease of maintenance. Sustainable strategies focus on daylight, cross-ventilation and shaded facades, stretching resources while reducing operating costs. Together, architecture, interiors and environmental graphics create a cohesive environment that supports TCAA’s mission and strengthens the social fabric of the neighborhood.
