Coordinated by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), the annual homeless count took place in Maricopa County on January 28. Hundreds of volunteers hit the streets to count the homeless, assigned grids to search alleys, parks, riverbeds, streets, and doorways as part of the annual Point in Time Homeless Street Count. The count provides a one-night snapshot of the number of men, women and children living in unsheltered situations or on the streets. For the first time, the count uses a cell phone app and will also include a tally of pets living with the homeless. We hear more from Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell, chair of MAG, and Shantae Smith, MAG human services planner.
