Homeless ID Project hosts campout to raise awareness as funding gets cut

PHOENIX — Organization leaders and staff from the Homeless ID Project spent the night outside on Tuesday to raise awareness about homelessness increasing while funding for it decreases and is under threat.

The Homeless ID Project helps people who are homeless or facing homelessness get replacement identification documents in order to aid them in getting off the street.

“Without an ID, you can’t get a job, you can’t get housing, you can’t get anything,” Executive Director Rick Mitchell told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Wednesday.

The Homeless ID Project launched in 2023. Mitchell said the organization provided 13,000 documents to people in 2024 and is on track help 15,000-16,000 people this year.

Why did the Homeless ID Project host a campout?

Mitchell cited the reason for the campout as wanting to raise awareness that unhoused homelessness is increasing by double digits while funding for it has fallen off.

“There’s been cuts in funding at the federal level, and there are threats of more cuts,” Mitchell told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday before the sleep out. “And at the same time, we need to get people housed, we need to get people jobs and people can’t get housing or jobs without an ID and that’s what Homeless ID Project does. … And if we don’t have the funding to do that, then we’re not going to be able to help the additional population coming to the street to get back off the street.”

Mitchell noted the process for preparing to sleep outside for the night made him think about all the people on the street who were unable to prepare.

Homeless ID President Chris Rich was also at the campout and said no one really slept — they just managed small naps.

“It’s the first time I’ve been out camping and woke up by the dumpster getting dumped at 3 in the morning or a helicopter flying real low coming over and circling around,” Rich said.

Rich also emphasized how hot it was.

Despite the rough night’s sleep, Mitchell recognized the group’s privilege.

“The truth is, it’s really easy for us at this point because we’re surrounded by each other and we’ve got whatever privilege we bring to this,” Mitchell said. “But for the people who are on the street because they don’t have any place else to be, it is … frightening.”

According to Rich, the fastest growing segment of the homeless population is senior citizens. He added that the Central Arizona Shelter Services has a campus specifically for the 55 and over homeless population.

“So, people like me that moved here from the Midwest or the West Coast, they rented an apartment for $800 and that apartment is now $1,200. And, so folks are finding themselves on the street,” Mitchell said.

 What can Arizonans do to help?

Mitchell wants to remind Arizonans they can get state tax credits by donating to qualifying nonprofits like the Homeless ID Project.

“And the fact is that 100% of Arizona taxpayers are eligible to use the tax credit and only 5% use it,” Mitchell said. “If we could increase that from 5% to 6% it would throw $17 million more into work. ”

The executive director emphasized that there is a way off the street and stated 75% of the people who are homeless today won’t be a year from now.

“The face of homelessness — what we see and therefore what we think is homeless — is the really chronic homeless, the guy on the side of the street with a sign, the people who just don’t have any place else or anything else to do ,” Mitchell said. “But there are families with children (that are) homeless, living in vans, living in hotels, couch surfing. (There are) 3,000 homeless kids in Maricopa County, and all of the unseen homelessness can get rehoused if we can get help to them quickly.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Balin Overstolz-McNair contributed to this report. 

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