HOMELESS POINT IN TIME COUNT - BALANCE OF STATE

The Annual Homeless Point in Time Count for the Balance of the State (13 rural counties) was conducted the last week of January of 2018. The number of individuals experiencing homelessness increased slightly, but over the last several years, the number has not changed radically.  There were a total of 2,187 persons who were either in emergency shelters, including domestic violence shelters, transitional housing or were unsheltered.  On the night of the count, 90 percent of all available emergency beds were occupied. 

You might ask – why were ten percent of the emergency beds not in use?  There are many reasons, but a couple are that most shelters in the 13 rural counties are for survivors of domestic violence and rarely are these shelters fully utilized every evening, since the size of families being assisted fluctuates.  Additionally, people experiencing homelessness are not always in close proximity to available, unused beds.  The largest demographic of those who were unsheltered continues to be single, white, males, over the age of 35, a populations for which there are typically the least number of shelter beds available. 

The Balance of State Continuum of Care, administered by the Arizona Department of Housing, had a record numbers of volunteers – 345 – participating in this year’s count.  Without volunteer assistance this count would be much more difficult, if not impossible, and many people would go uncounted. The Point in Time Count also offers an opportunity to offer the homeless information on housing and services of which they may not be aware.

View Point-in-Time Count AZ-500 Arizona Balance of State CoC for the full report.

EVICTION PREVENTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IN THE WORKS

In response to an increase in the number of Arizona families experiencing evictions, the Arizona Department of Housing is currently working to establish an Eviction Prevention Assistance Program that will be available statewide later this year. In order to receive public input on program design, the Department will be holding a public input meeting in Phoenix on July 31, 2018, 1110 W. Washington St., Suite 250 at 9:00 a.m. and in Tucson on August 2, 2018 at the Abrams Public Health Center, 3950 S. Country Club Road, Rooms 1106/1108 at 9:00 a.m.