Arizona homeless aid programs get $38M boost from federal government

PHOENIX – A federal government program has approved renewal of more than $38 million in grants to fund homeless assistance in Arizona.

The bulk of the money will be dispersed throughout Maricopa County, with 32 projects receiving $26,235,158 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Continuum of Care awardees included Casa Mia housing, which got $1.98 million. A federal report published in December said homelessness in metro Phoenix had risen 12 percent from the previous year.

The department estimated in a report that 9,865 people were homeless in Arizona last year.

“At this time of year, thousands of local homeless assistance providers receive federal funding to operate and maintain stable housing for those living in our shelter system and on our streets,” HUD Secretary Ben Carson said in a statement released Wednesday.

Funding supports individuals and families who at risk of becoming homeless, are staying in uninhabitable places, or have turned to shelters.

The state had an increase for 10.3 percent in homelessness from 2017-2018. Only New York’s 14.2 percent was higher.

The report also said that on one night in January 2018, more than half of the homeless in Arizona — 54 percent — had stayed in unsheltered locations.

“Renewing these grants will come as a huge relief to these providers, and it will allow them to continue their work to house and serve our most vulnerable neighbors,” Carson said in the statement.

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