Tempe Buys Rodeway Inn For More Transitional Housing

TEMPE, AZ — The city of Tempe is working to provide relief to those experiencing homelessness.

The city purchased the Rodeway Inn at 2101 E. Apache Boulevard, which has 40 units it plans to use for transitional housing. Tempe also approved $450,000 in grants to fund emergency shelter beds, according to a news release from the city.

The city purchased the hotel property using $3.3 million in federal funds through the American Rescue Plan Act, the COVID-19 relief bill passed earlier this year, according to a news release from the city.

Housing at the hotel is meant to provide "more options and stability for those in need as they work with Human Services staff to locate more permanent housing solutions," the city said in the news release.

The motel is set to open in December, following rehabilitation work. The city's goal is to eventually see the property developed into permanent, affordable multifamily housing.

This effort is part of the city's initiative to reduce the negative impacts of "homelessness in city parks and ensure a greater feeling of community safety and wellness," the city said in the news release.

The total $450,000 in grant funding includes $281,980 to the Tempe Community Action Agency to fund 30 shelter beds for adults, in addition to case management and housing assistance. The rest of the grant funding, $168,020, will go to A New Leaf to pay for transportation of men to the East Valley Men’s Center in Mesa. At the center men can receive services like case management, behavioral health services and access to job and housing supports.

A point-in-time count in January 2020 found more than 7,400 people in Maricopa County were experiencing homelessness at that time.