Maricopa County officials counting individuals experiencing homelessness in Valley areas

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Arizona is officially outpacing other states for the national average of individuals experiencing homelessness.

Maricopa County officials are working together to get an accurate count and snapshot community by community to see the bigger picture. This count is, in part, to understand how best communities can serve the unhoused and what’s being done to address the problems that community is facing. One immediate way you can help is to volunteer with the Homeless Youth Connection here.

HYC is working alongside more than 130 Arizona schools to link them with community services, help them find safe and stable housing and what’s down the road for them such as career paths, future independent housing opportunities and more. If you’re looking to give back to the LGBTQ unhoused population, reach out to Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development here or one.n.ten’s Promise of a New Day program.

Statistically according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, while the number of veterans experiencing homelessness decreased by 11% overall, the unsheltered community increased in the wake of COVID-19 and the reduced amount of facilities available across the U.S. due to lack of funding. Nearly four in every 10 individuals experiencing homelessness identified themselves as Black, African American or African. Across all categories, however, the quarter of all those experiencing homelessness at 24% were Hispanic or Latino identifying.

By state, California has the largest unhoused population, followed by Mississippi, Hawaii, Oregon, and Arizona. The state with the lowest population is Delaware. Every night in Arizona approximately 10,707 go to bed without having a home to call their own. Read the HUD’s full report here.

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