PHOENIX — Data from Maricopa County's annual Point-in-Time Count for 2024 was released Wednesday and showed the number of people living without housing remained roughly steady, but that a higher proportion of those people were living in temporary housing or emergency shelters than in 2023.
According to the study, 57% of homeless people encountered in 2024 were living in some sort of temporary housing or emergency shelter. In 2023, that number was just 49% of people encountered.
In 2024, a total of 9,435 people were encountered. In 2023, the total was 9,642.
“This year's point in time tally shows that the work we've been doing to increase shelter options is making a tangible difference,” said Mayor Kate Gallego. “While there are still too many people living unsheltered in our community and we still have work to do to get people permanent, stable housing, it's encouraging to see steady progress being made to get residents off the streets and into safer situations.”
Some insights noted in the City of Phoenix's 2024 PIT count:
- Phoenix’s unhoused population fell 19% from 3,333 in 2023 to 2,701 in 2024.
- The number of people experiencing homelessness and shelter in Phoenix increased 15% from 3,569 in 2023 to 4,115 in 2024.
- Phoenix's homeless population fell just over 1 percent from 6,902 in 2023 to 6,816 in 2024.
“We are proud that our city's investments in shelters are benefiting our community,” said Rachel Milne, homelessness director for the City of Phoenix. “We know that shelters alone will not solve homelessness, but for many people, connecting them to the right resources and supports and ending homelessness is an important first step. Our commitment to addressing homelessness is stronger than ever, and we will continue to invest in working with our community partners to create even more shelters, housing and supportive services for those in need.”
The full report can be found here: click here.
To see last year's coverage of Point in Time, click here.
