Where is all that money going to fight homelessness in Arizona? No one knows

A recent report has exposed shocking statistics about the state of homelessness in the Grand Canyon state.

While the state spends an estimated $1 billion of taxpayer money every year on homelessness alleviation, the number of Arizonans without shelter continues to grow at a substantial rate.

A report by Common Sense Institute Arizona serves as a startling reality check on the massive failure of programs that have deprioritized emergency and transitional services — leaving more and more people in crisis to the dangers of life on the streets.

Homelessness is still skyrocketing

Over the last three years, the number of homeless individuals in Arizona has increased by nearly a third — and it is suspected that the increase may be significantly higher.

Even more worrying, the number of unsheltered homeless, the most vulnerable among them, more than tripled between 2014 and 2023.

Common Sense Institute identified at least 167 public and private homeless service providers employing roughly 9,000 workers and 42,000 volunteers. They reported that’s about the size of the state’s mining and logging sector in terms of work hours.

These organizations are spending more than $47,200 per homeless person each year. That figure is double the median annual rent, and it’s more than half the state’s annual GDP in farming.

Yet, alarmingly, conservative estimates now put the total number of homeless individuals in Arizona at 14,000. A record 7,600 of them went without shelter in 2023.

Rep. Gress has suggested an important fix

So, where is all that money going, exactly?

No one knows for sure — and that is a major problem.

Read the full piece at azcentral.com »