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Reflections from the front lines serving people experiencing homelessness, during a Phoenix Spring with passive aggressive temperatures, rain and wind, and a metaphorically similar State legislative session. We live in a storm of sentiment and opinion, a maelstrom of politics.
The number of unsheltered in the immediate area of the Key Campus (formerly known as Human Services Campus) was 55 this morning. The number in our team's expanded count increased to 474; this area is a wider radius in which the team has also been regularly counting. One month ago the expanded count area was 373, and two months ago it was 296.
Unsheltered people are moving from location to location.
Homelessness continues to increase.
This week there are 7,786 adults on the By Name List for housing, housing that comes with some level of services. (Reminder: this is different from public housing authority wait lists.)
Four spaces on the Key Campus continue to shelter 900+ individuals every night.
For the calendar year 2023, according to Maricopa Association of Governments, there were 19 new people experiencing homelessness for every 10 people finding housing.
(https://azmag.gov/Programs/Homelessness/Data/Homelessness-Trends)
If we continue with a weather metaphor, the above might be compared to a "rising tide," or a "scattered thunderstorm" that leaves pockets of flooded area. If we wanted to understand what caused the weather, we would look to the skies and ask meteorologists about weather patterns. We would look for the emergency responders, the temporary storm shelters, and crisis services. And we would not blame these responders, shelters, and services for creating the storm.
Alas right now there are (read more...)
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