Arizona Awards $16 Million in Grants to Expand Homeless Shelters

Arizona is awarding $16 million in grants to community organizations and local governments to expand homeless shelters and support services across the state. Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH) announced the funding on Oct. 23. The money comes from the state’s Housing Trust Fund and will help organizations construct additional shelter units and maintain services for Arizonans experiencing homelessness.

A total of 19 organizations and local governments will receive funding, including several in the Phoenix area. UMOM New Day Centers and Flagstaff Shelter Services will each receive $2 million, the largest individual grants announced. The City of Phoenix, the City of Tucson, Keys to Change, COPA Health and Primavera Foundation will each receive $1 million. The funding also will support organizations in Mesa, Tucson, Flagstaff, Prescott, Sierra Vista, Kingman and Bullhead City.

In a news release, UMOM CEO Monique Lopez said, “This investment will help UMOM provide safe shelter, stability and a pathway forward for hundreds of women experiencing homelessness each year.” Providing safe shelter to people with nowhere to go reflects the practice of welcoming the stranger (Matthew 25:35).

Hobbs said, “Access to safe shelter is critical for the security and well-being of Arizonans. With this funding, we will ensure more Arizona families have a roof over their heads and the services they need to get back on their feet.”

ADOH Director Ruby Dhillon-Williams said the department received 78 applications for the $16 million in available funding. “Our focus is on meeting that need and putting forth funding solutions that help reduce the number of unhoused Arizonans,” Dhillon-Williams said.

The grants are part of broader investments in homelessness response and transitional housing made during the Hobbs administration. Those investments include $60 million for the Homeless Shelter and Services Fund, $38 million through the State Housing Trust Fund for housing insecurity prevention and rapid rehousing, and $13.5 million for eviction prevention and homelessness response. Additional funding has gone toward housing programs for veterans and people re-entering communities after involvement with the criminal justice system.

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