Maricopa County providing funds to Mesa for purchase of hotel for homeless

PHOENIX — Maricopa County is partnering up with the city of Mesa to purchase a hotel for people experiencing homelessness, according to a Maricopa County press release.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors announced last week it approved an agreement that provides more than $4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to purchase the hotel which will provide emergency shelter and transitional housing for people experiencing homelessness.

The hotel’s 70 units will provide temporary housing for up to 500 people per year, the release said. About 80 percent of those housed will include women, youth and seniors. There will also be services offered through the program to address issues surrounding homelessness.

Mesa will contribute more than $3.4 million of its federal funding to the project and will partner with Community Bridges, Inc. to provide management and support services.

District 1 Vice Chairman Jack Sellers said the partnership allows them to work together to provide a safe and secure environment where individuals and families can find relief from homelessness.

“Each investment we’ve made in partnership with Mesa is an investment in the well-being of our neighbors in need as well as an investment in the betterment of our community as a whole,” Sellers said in the press release.

Mesa Mayor John Giles said the city is committed to being part of the solution in addressing homelessness in the region.

“This collaboration with Maricopa County builds on our strong partnership with an investment that will pay dividends for the entire region,” Giles said in the press release.