Homelessness services
Homelessness, including record family homelessness, ranks among top local concerns alongside public safety. Shelters are full with waitlists; the county links the issue to eviction spikes and has allocated one-time funds plus prevention pilots while treating it as part of broader public-safety and budget priorities.
How should Maricopa County address homelessness?
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Sources
Chair Kate Brophy McGee — https://www.maricopa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/115156/Kate-Brophy-McGee-Chair-Speech
contributing to homelessness (family homelessness at highest since 2015 in some reports; full shelters and waitlists).
Maricopa County — https://www.maricopa.gov/m/NewsFlash/Home/Detail/3708
Homelessness and public safety/crime rank high in local polls. Board response: ... one-time funds for interventions to keep people housed
Positions on this issue · liberal → conservative
- Guarantee housing-first with permanent supportive housing for all who need it
- Significantly expand shelter beds, outreach, and mental-health/housing navigation
- Maintain current pilots and coordinate with cities on targeted prevention
- Emphasize temporary shelter plus work requirements and treatment mandates
- Limit services to emergency only and enforce camping bans strictly
- Reduce county spending on homelessness programs and shift burden to nonprofits
- Criminalize street homelessness and prioritize rapid clearance over services