As the number of people in Phoenix on the waitlist for subsidized housing for people living with HIV and AIDS has skyrocketed in recent years, the city is getting a major boost in its federal funding next month and is rethinking its housing programs.
There are currently 635 people on the waitlist for permanent rental assistance for those living with HIV and AIDS and 285 people waiting for transitional housing. Sandra Jones, a project manager in the city’s Housing Department, reported to a Phoenix committee Tuesday the number of people waiting for transitional housing just a few years ago was only 20-25.
That, in large part, can be linked to the Valley’s growing housing issues. According to the point-in-time count conducted by Maricopa County, the number of unsheltered people in the county has increased by a third in the last two year and is more than three times what it was in 2016.
