Chandler point-in-time total shows work still ahead
Region shows 28% one-year spike for unsheltered people
Courtesy of Maricopa County Association of Governments
The Maricopa County Association of Governments’ recently released 2025 point-in-time count shows a small increase in the number of unsheltered homeless in Chandler. It also revealed a huge one-year spike in unsheltered numbers countywide.
There were 22 more homeless people in Chandler in late January than there were the year prior.
Or to view the Maricopa County Association of Governments’ recently released 2025 point-in-time count another way, organizers have been able to locate at least 115 homeless people in Chandler on the January sampling day, four years in a row.
Or to view the four-year trend yet another way, there continue to be a significant number of homeless people in Chandler.
All those views come from the 2025 MAG PIT (point-in-time) Count Report. The tracking system shows trends in how many homeless people consistently migrate to, or tend to remain in, certain parts of the Valley, along with what percentage are unhoused.
The count showed 133 “unsheltered” people were counted in Chandler in 2022, followed by 116 in 2023, 115 in 2024 and 137 last year.
The count also showed the total PIT count across Maricopa County increased, along with an increase in the unsheltered count and a decrease in the sheltered count.
Chandler Vice Mayor Christine Ellis, a nurse by trade, has spoken up on homelessness and related issues at many meetings and work sessions and in videos on related topics. She pointed out that all these numbers are being crunched on the heels of a record-breaking calendar year for evictions in the county.
The county broke its all-time record for the number of evictions conducted in 2024, with 87,197 filings throughout the county and an average judgment of more than $3,150.
That topped 2005, when Maricopa County courts had 83,687 eviction filings.
“Although the Maricopa County region experienced a record-breaking number of evictions and housing affordability challenges, we in Chandler, continue to combat homelessness by investing in outreach through our community navigators, temporary shelter and services, and resources that help people find employment and obtain temporary financial assistance,” Ellis said.
Ellis echoed what Chandler Police Department and other city staff have been preaching for years: A help-first, consequences only when absolutely necessary to prompt change, approach is needed and encouraged.
“As we continue to work closely with nonprofit partners and clinicians to connect people with the support they need, including mental health and substance abuse treatment, we believe these numbers show how important it is to continue our efforts and to remain committed to be part of the solution,” Ellis said.
Chandler’s immediate neighbors have vastly different urban layouts and many other circumstances that make comparing numbers of little use. While Mesa and Tempe’s unsheltered counts are consistently both more than 250 people, Gilbert and Queen Creek are regularly in the tens and single-digits, respectively.
Gilbert and Queen Creek are the farthest removed from Phoenix in the metro area, with Tempe and Chandler both sharing lengthy borders with the fifth-largest city in the U.S.
Phoenix unsheltered totals soared in the 2025 PIT count, going from 2,701 to 3,761, which contributes heavily to the 28% one-year uptick in unsheltered people countywide.
The report notes the point-in-time count does not capture all the people experiencing homelessness.
“The count is a one-night snapshot of homelessness that is limited by weather conditions, the number and training of volunteers, self-reported survey responses and other factors,” the report states. “There are more people who experience homelessness over the course of the year than on any given single night.”
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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