PHOENIX — The City of Phoenix will add dozens of shelter beds after a grant from the state’s department of housing in an effort to work on solutions to homelessness.
The Arizona Department of Housing has $700,000 left of the $10 million they have been given to award to cities, counties, and towns.
The City of Phoenix is receiving $7 million of the Homeless Service Grant Pilot funds to go towards 200 new shelter beds.
This is in addition to a new shelter that the city and county funded in Phoenix that is run by St. Vincent de Paul.
ABC15 covered the opening of the shelter during the summer after the City of Phoenix and Maricopa County joined together to open a day and night heat relief shelter for those experiencing homelessness.
Two hundred people can get shelter at the new facility, located near 28th and Washington streets. The City of Phoenix says this is not a walk-up facility and clients must be referred by a caseworker.
The city has not selected who will run the shelter at this time.
The $10 million was allocated by the state legislature and the funds are to be used to address homelessness around the state.
“It had to go to a city, town or county, they had to match it 100%. So whatever money we put in, they put in 100% match. And they had to offer a daily paid work opportunity,” said Cindy Stotler, with the Arizona Department of Housing.
A spokesperson for the City of Phoenix said they have other projects that are still in the planning stages to address homelessness.
