Tempe is expanding its homeless outreach team

Published: Thursday, December 30, 2021 - 5:34pm
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City officials say adding more specialists to Tempe’s homeless outreach and prevention team means expert help will be available seven days a week starting in January.

The expansion also comes with a new strategy that the mayor believes can help build trust with people living on the street.

The soon-to-be 11-member team does street outreach to the unsheltered, case management and helps people find housing.

“That’s a huge jump in terms of a lot of the services and the touches we’re going to be able to provide,” said Mayor Corey Woods.

Along with the expansion, specialists are being assigned to specific parts of Tempe. Woods said this means they’ll have more consistent interaction with the homeless people living in each zone.

“Which we do think will better help to develop the relationships necessary to get more people housed and to get more people the services they need,” he said.

The area around Arizona State University is one place getting a dedicated outreach team. In July, the university put up $135,000 to pay the salaries for two specialists for a year.    

Politics Housing