In recent years, Maricopa County has seen a spike in homelessness. The 2025 Point-In-Time count reported 9,734 people experiencing homelessness, a three percent increase from 2024 and a 47% increase from 2019.
Concerns about the homeless population have also risen in the Sun Cities. To address this, District 4 Supervisor Debbie Lesko hosted a town hall March 13, at the Sundial Recreation Center, 14801 N. 103rd Ave., with County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, Undersheriff Jeff Gentry and Assistant County Managers Darcy Kober and Marcy Flanagan. The panel spoke about the role each individual plays along with what can and can’t be done concerning the situation.
Mitchell opened the town hall by saying it is not illegal to be homeless nor is it illegal to panhandle. Individuals break the law when they start obstructing traffic on the road, create a hazard on the sidewalk or are panhandling “aggressively.” According to Gentry, panhandlers cannot refuse to take “no” for an answer and they can’t demand money after cleaning a driver’s car.
