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Our View: Councilman Greg Stanton and Rep. Robert Meza
Arizona Republic
May 2007
Ending Homelessness is a Cooperative Effort
Homelessness is a pervasive social and economic issue that impacts people from all walks of life. The Arizona Department of Economic Security estimates as many as 30,000 homeless people are living in our state with only about 9,200 shelter beds available statewide. Sadly, many are women, children, families and military veterans.
A homeless person deprived of shelter doesn’t have access to potentially life-changing services that shelters provide. These services include medical care, transitional and permanent housing, job opportunities, and the chance to improve job skills or obtain an education.
As elected public servants, we are focused on developing programs to meet the urgent needs of the homeless.
Among the most recent efforts is state legislation (introduced by Rep. Meza) that would provide up to $5 million annually in excess lottery revenues to nonprofit and faith-based organizations that serve the homeless. Mark Holleran, CEO of Central Arizona Shelter Services, says the legislation is vital to maintain the current under-funded programs that provide the homeless with shelter and other basic services. “State funds for programs geared towards the homeless have not increased since 1997 and our agency is facing a deficit next year,” says Holleran. “If we don’t continue to serve the homeless and deny them from receiving the existing shelter due to under funding, it will adversely impact the resources currently available to all residents.”
The city of Phoenix is a strong partner in the fight to end homelessness and will extend its operation of the Watkins Shelter through the summer for single women and families. Special thanks to Councilman Doug Lingner for his leadership on this issue. Nearly 5,000 people were served last year at the Watkins Overflow Shelter, including 551 children.
Additionally, the city supports prevention, emergency shelter, transitional and permanent housing, seasonal respite programs and support services for homeless people throughout the Valley. One program collaborates with the Phoenix Police Department to decriminalize homelessness by providing critical services including substance abuse counseling and behavioral health services to chronically homeless individuals.
The Maricopa Association of Governments’ Continuum of Care Regional Committee of Homelessness has secured federal dollars including $126 million in federal grants in the past six years and $20 million that it received for the county in February. The latest allocation was passed on to 48 organizations that provide about 3,100 permanent and transitional beds for the homeless and an array of special services. The committee continues to pursue ways to help even further.
Ending homelessness is not a task that can be tackled by a single entity. It takes a strong partnership between business leaders, faith community, nonprofits and government.
There is still more work to be done and by working together, we will achieve our goal.
Phoenix City Councilman Greg Stanton serves as chairman of the Continuum of Care Regional Committee on Homelessness. Contact Councilman Stanton at 602-262-7491 or via e-mail at greg.stanton@phoenix.gov. Rep. Robert Meza represents central Phoenix and is a board member of the Coalition to End Homelessness. Contact Rep. Meza at 602-926-3425 or via e-mail at rmeza@azleg.gov.
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