Opening the Benedictine Monastery for asylum-seeking families
KGUN 9 documented the rapid move of asylum-seeking families into Tucson's former Benedictine Monastery as Casa Alitas expanded beyond smaller shelter locations.
Diego Javier Pina Lopez, then a lead coordinator with Casa Alitas, explained that the team initially expected a smaller capacity but reorganized the space to receive more people. The report also described the short timeline between learning that families would arrive and opening the site.
The story is an early record of the operational growth that later became central to Casa Alitas: rapidly converting available community space into organized shelter while adapting processes in real time.
This page is an original summary and contextual index entry. The original publisher retains rights to its reporting and media.