The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) announced last week the federal government awarded over $40 million to supplement programs supporting the homeless. The federal money was announced as state spending on homelessness reportedly nears $1 billion per year.
MAG announced in a press release that “more than $46.5 million in federal funding” will be provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to “help fund dozens of local homelessness programs.” The figure is also $10 million higher than the previous year’s federal commitment, MAG explained.
“The award represents a nearly 30 percent increase from previous years, which will mean additional housing and services for people experiencing homelessness in the Maricopa region,” stated Maricopa Continuum of Care co-chair Rachel Milne.
She explained the federal money will allow MAG to fund its “first and second tier projects,” and called it “great news for those in need, homeless service providers, and the regional community.”
News of the increased federal funding commitment comes as a report by the Common Sense Institute (CSI) of Arizona claims the state’s annual spending on the homeless is now about $1 billion.
That report explained that most of Arizona’s homeless funding goes toward housing or shelter, with between $678 and $807 million of the total received by Maricopa County.
While CSI Arizona Director of Policy and Research Glenn Farley highlighted a correlation between the rise in homelessness and the opioid epidemic, the report estimated spending on substance abuse treatment or support is far more sparse than funds dedicated to providing shelter.
The news also came as Phoenix approved $1 million in emergency funding for Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) in order to allow the organization to continue 24-hour operations at Phoenix’s largest homeless shelter.
When Phoenix was ordered by a court to disperse “The Zone,” an open-air homeless camp created in the streets of Phoenix that at one point housed around 1,000 individuals, many of the homeless relocated to the CASS shelter. The order was made following a lawsuit by local business owners who alleged the city was failing to uphold public order in the area.
Despite the $1 million, a surplus from funding originally given to the Phoenix by the federal government as part of the Biden administration’s pandemic recovery strategy, the homeless organization still needs about $500 million to close the gap in its funding.
While Arizona saw record homelessness in 2023, a January report found the states which saw the highest rates of homelessness are those considered heavily Democratic.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Homelessness in Arizona” by Maricopa Association of Governments.
