Tempe City Council Advances Proposal To Help The Homeless

TEMPE, AZ — A proposal to help Tempe's homeless population has received support from the city council and will potentially receive budget funding this spring.

The proposal stemmed from the Tempe City Council's goal to improve city services and was presented at a Feb. 18 meeting, the city announced in a news release.

“Consistent with Tempe’s values, I am grateful for the truly ambitious concepts from staff to redouble our efforts when it comes to park safety and helping our unsheltered populations,” Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said in a statement. “I want our residents and businesses to know that we are actively pursuing bold new steps to care for our community.”

Homelessness has long been an issue throughout the Valley and has only been exacerbated by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The city council approved funding last month for homeless people to rent motel rooms through January 2022 as safe, temporary shelter.

This new proposal aims to help Tempe's homeless better transition into housing and stability. It would include park safety efforts, diverting non-emergency and non-violent calls to human services staff instead of police officers, and allow for patrol in wider parts of the city. It would also add more shelter options and beds.

Tempe currently has only 100 beds for people suffering from homelessness. According to the city, this bed would add 400 shelter spaces for those in need to accommodate the number of homeless counted during 2020's annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count.

The council is set to work out a 2021-2022 budget this spring.