​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Homeless Services

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Human Services Department Homeless Programs provide emergency shelter, rapid-rehousing (Housing First), street outreach and supportive services components for homeless families, youth and individuals through city programs and through contracts with local community providers.  Homeless Programs also oversees the City's We're C​​ool/Heat Relief Network to provide hydration and refuge to the homeless, elderly, and disabled.  Homeless Programs coordinates the annual The Point-In-Time (PIT) Homeless Street Count for the city of Phoenix, which is a regional one-night street count used to determine the number of persons experiencing homelessness within Maricopa County.​​


​​PHX C.A.R.E.S. 

In response to increased request to address blight associated with persons living unsheltered, often taking the form of a homeless encampment, the City of Phoenix created a coordinated program, PHX C.A.R.E.S. (Community, Action, Response, Engagement Services).  The program is a collaboration between heavily impacted departments including Human Services, Neighborhood Services, Public Works, Street Transportation, Police and the Prosecutor's Office.  For more information, please visit: ​https://www.phoenix.gov/phxcares​ 

​Heat Relief

Help keep the vulnerable population in Phoenix hydrated and safe during the extreme summer heat. Small donations of water can be delivered to a Human Services Department Family Services Centers. Large donations of water or a tax-deductible cash donation can be coordinated by contacting the City of Phoenix Human Services Department at 602-262-6180.

Learn about more ways to help.​

​Point-in-Time

Homeless Street Count

The Point-In-Time (PIT) Homeless Street Count is a one-night street and shelter count usually held annually in January to determine the number of persons experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County during a given point-in-time.  The count includes a brief survey to identify some characteristics of persons experiencing homelessness in the community.  As the lead agency for the Maricopa County Continuum of Care, The Maricopa Association of Governments coordinates the regional count each year.  The City of Phoenix is the largest participant in the Homeless Street Count. Click here​ to learn more.

​Strategies to Address Homelessness  

The Phoenix City Council requested a strategic plan to focus on strategies for persons experiencing homelessness as well as developing best practices to mitigate impacts to surrounding communities and neighborhoods.​ Read the Strategies to Address Homelessness Plan here​.

In January 2021, a task force made up of neighborhood leaders, service providers, and homeless advocates began meeting to prioritize and provide recommendations on the City’s efforts to deploy the Plan. Throughout 2021, the Task Force met to review and evaluate the City’s Strategies to Address Homelessness Plan. The recommendations were made in consensus among the Task Force members and were presented to the Phoenix City Manager as well to the Phoenix City Council Community and Cultural Investment Subcommittee on April 6, 2022. Read the recommendations here​.​​ Watch the Subcommittee presentation here​.