Tempe aims to curb growing homeless population

Tempe City Council is exploring a number of solutions to aid its growing homeless population, which is far outpacing the number of shelter beds available in the area.

Valleywide, there has been an 83% increase in unsheltered homelessness from 2017 to 2020, according to the annual Point-in-Time count conducted by the Maricopa Association of Governments each January. In that same time period, Tempe has seen a 96% increase in unsheltered people. During the most recent count in January 2020, there were approximately 3,767 unsheltered people counted in Maricopa County, including 396 unsheltered people in Tempe. The city boasts just 100 shelter beds.

While the situation is not unique to Tempe, the city is taking steps to help this vulnerable community and problem, only exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.