Advocate calls for state of emergency to address family homelessness in Phoenix area

Family homelessness in the Phoenix area is still on an upward trend, and one advocate is calling on Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to act.

KTAR News 92.3 FM previously reported the 2026 point-in-time count, a one-day street census of the local homeless population, found roughly the same number of unhoused people compared to last year in Maricopa County.

However, the count also showed 72 more families experiencing homelessness compared to the 2025 count, or an increase of 272 people.

Officials with the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care, which coordinates broad homeless responses in the Valley, said the expiration of federal pandemic relief dollars at the end of 2024 resulted in the loss of about 1,000 family shelter beds.

Rachel Milne, director of the Phoenix Office of Homeless Solutions, called the drop in family shelter space “extremely disturbing.”

Most families documented this year were in shelter or transitional housing the night of the count, but there are others who actively work every night to find short-term solutions.

‘It’s not what I intended for being a first-time dad’

A Valley father named Jonas became homeless several months ago after he lost his job, explaining he was already having a tough time keeping up with rent.

That left him, his two children and partner all on the street together for several days.

“I stayed up all night while they slept at a bus stop,” he said. “I cried that night. It’s not what I intended for being a first-time dad. It rocked me hard.”

He said he had worries about where his family would go before meeting Austin Davis with Tempe nonprofit AZ Hugs.

Davis assists Jonas and up to 40 other homeless families most nights, helping many of them get into hotels by raising funds through social media and utilizing local resources.

“We’ve been in there [a hotel] for about three weeks now, so we’ve been OK,” Jonas said. “I just got a job … with light rail security, downtown.”

While he has short-term security through AZ Hugs, Jonas is also on the waitlist for the Family Housing Hub, which is operated by local nonprofit UMOM New Day Centers.

The hub is the regional coordinated entry point for the for families experiencing homelessness and is supported by federal funding.

Advocate calls for state of emergency over family homelessness

As Davis and AZ Hugs work to get families both into hotels in the short term and eventually shelters or housing outcomes, he said the local system for families isn’t doing enough.

He has an active petition pushing Hobbs to declare a state of emergency over family homelessness, arguing it would allow resources available to families to be expanded.

Davis said this is especially important with potentially deadly summer heat right around the corner.

“We have to work together — community agencies, nonprofits and the state — to create a solution right now before more people get harmed,” he said.

However, Davis is also critical of the Family Housing Hub, arguing it’s fundamentally unable to address the rising number of unhoused families in Maricopa County.

He argues it works too slow to get families the level of help needed now, and without an emergency response, it won’t be able to catch up to the need.

Davis also said the hub’s eligibility rules have led to some families being taken off the waitlist, such as one family staying in a hotel allegedly no longer qualifying.

He’s calling for more same-day shelter resources as well as a 24/7 respite center specifically for families, building on cooling centers found in the region.

Federal definitions and a shared challenge

Ashley Oakley, chief development officer at UMOM, refutes Davis’ claim that a family would be removed from the waitlist for staying in a hotel.

“Definitely staying in a hotel would not take a family off the waitlist, and I think, more than anyone, UMOM really understands the urgency and heartbreak families are feeling right now,” she said.

Tim Burch, co-chair of the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care, said that as as the Valley’s coordinated entry point, the Family Housing Hub must conform to federal definitions because the funding comes with strict rules.

“Meaning if someone is no longer considered homeless, they fall off a waitlist,” he said.

Oakley explained that the Family Housing Hub provides families with wraparound services in a variety of areas besides short-term shelter.

“These are the solutions that really help families to permanently end their homelessness and get back on their feet,” she said.

She also said the current waitlist extends up to 10 weeks, with nearly 200 families on it.

While Oakley defended the hub’s operations, she echoed Davis’s broader point: Moving the needle on family homelessness requires consistent investments, community support and addressing broader problems.

“Coordination regionally and between all our partners, and really the buy-in of the community [is needed]. Not just funding, but with committing to be educated about the true problem – which really is the complete lack of affordable housing in Maricopa County,” she said.

UMOM also provides some immediate shelter options when families contact 211 to get on the Family Housing Hub, as well as works to divert people losing housing in the first place.

Families waiting for help as they find day-to-day solutions

It’s unclear how long Jonas and his family will be hoping for that fateful call so they’ll no longer have to look for a hotel room each night.

“I’m still obviously waiting to hear something back,” he said. “Haven’t heard anything just yet. But I’m keeping in touch with Austin to see what contacts I must have to contact.”

Christopher, another father whose family is receiving immediate help from AZ Hugs, said he doesn’t want to wait up to 10 weeks for help from UMOM.

“My main goal is to try to get a job, start working, and so we can actually get an apartment before they do call us in,” said Christopher, who is experiencing homelessness with his partner and young child.

Jonas also believes local organizations can do more for families in need, arguing there needs to be an expansion of affordable, small-scale housing available to people in his situation.

“There’s always a choice, so can you choose to help? It’s not much that any of these people are really asking for,” he said.

You can donate to UMOM and AZ Hugs to support their efforts.

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