More funds to address the homeless

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and the Phoenix City Council voted last week to allocate more than $33,000,000 to help those experiencing homelessness. We learned more about where the money is coming from and where it is set to go from Marchelle Franklin, director of the city’s human services department.

Franklin explained that the money will be used, “to put together additional solutions and strategies and programs to move those who are experiencing homelessness if you will from being unsheltered to sheltered or into some type of long-term permanent supportive housing.”

She continued, “The mayor and council directed us to really focus on three primary areas of how we want to put this money to good use. The first one will be around work that’s already going on at the human services campus which is right downtown at 12th Avenue and Madison area and it is about 20 services providers that are there providing an array of services for individuals who are experiencing homelessness.”

As Franklin explained the rest of the three areas she mentioned that the main focus is increasing beds in these homes. The second pool of funds will be put toward supporting more specialized regional shelters. The third and final group of funds out of the total will be allocated to helping individual providers.

Arizona and specifically Phoenix are unique for having this set up and Franklin says it is because there are conversations going on between Mayor Gallego and her constituents about this issue. She says the officials are concerned with what these people need and are willing to work to help, as evidenced by this funding.

It has not been decided what the schedule for the roll-out of these funds will be, but Franklin said that there will soon be a meeting amongst the staff to discuss that.