Queen Creek reported eight unsheltered people this year in the recently released Point-in-Time Homeless Count from the Maricopa County Association of Governments.
The report is an annual count that determines the number of people experiencing homelessness in shelters or on the streets in the county during a given point in time. The latest count was conducted on Jan. 26.
Queen Creek’s unsheltered population grew by one person compared to the same period in 2025. The 2026 number is the highest the town has recorded since 2023.
Elsewhere in the southeast Valley, Chandler recorded an unsheltered count of 94 compared to 137 in 2025; Mesa was at 343, up from 262; and Gilbert was at 35, up from 22 last year.
In the East Valley, unsheltered homelessness decreased by 16%. In the West Valley it decreased by 36%.
Overall, the 2026 Point-in-Time Homelessness counts were nearly unchanged year-over-year.
“Flat numbers in a growing region are themselves a meaningful sign,” a MAG release stated. “As the Maricopa region’s population continues to climb, holding the overall count steady and reducing the unsheltered population demonstrates important progress.”
The changes from 2025 to 2026 showed the total Point-in-Time count was down less than 1%, the unsheltered count dipped 12%, and the sheltered count rose 14%.
"The most encouraging part of this year's count is that more people are sheltered," Tim Burch, co-chair of the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care and Tempe’s director of community health and human services, stated in the release. "When someone is in shelter, they're connected to services and case management, and that's how people move out of homelessness. That's the direction we want to keep moving."
The report also identified 500 unaccompanied youth age 24 and younger experiencing homelessness without a parent or guardian in the county, the release continued.
“A separate statewide effort to count youth experiencing homelessness was also conducted this spring. Results are expected to be released later in 2026,” the release stated.
The Point-in-Time report is an annual street and shelter count that determines the number of people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County at a given point in time. The count is part of a national effort to identify the extent of homelessness throughout the country.
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley
Meet Janet Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.
Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.
Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.
Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.
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