result of Maricopa County Point-in-Time Homeless Count in 2023 It has come out. The Maricopa Association of Governments counted her more than 9,600 Arizonas without a permanent home and found homelessness in the county increased by 7% in this past year. This is an increase of over 70% for him from 2017.

But for the first time in years, the number of unprotected people has fallen. People living in emergency shelters and temporary housing accounted for most of the increase in the homeless population this year, while homeless numbers declined slightly.

Katie Gentry, MAG’s regional homeless program manager, said rising rents and a shortage of affordable housing in the Phoenix area are driving the trend.

“The inability to raise rents has led to more people living paycheck to paycheck and becoming homeless,” Gentry said. “When we are hit with rent increases, we are increasingly finding that the biggest challenge is finding alternative housing that is affordable, and people are unable to find affordable places to go. “

But as homelessness rises, so does the county’s safety net, Gentry said. Also, community investments in homeless solutions seem to be having some impact.

“We have been able to increase shelters by 18 percent in response to local and tribal governments and non-profit partners,” she said.

Three weeks ago, Gentry said the county received just over $36 million in local funds to help deal with the homeless.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to clarify that Katie Gentry works for the Maricopa Association of Governments.