12News went out with the Phoenix tally team to talk to people who spent the night in the bitter cold.
PHOENIX — Phoenix is on pace with thousands sleeping on the streets again due to this year’s point-in-time homeless counts, an annual data collection conducted by cities and communities throughout Maricopa County.
number required by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development For municipalities that receive federal funding, it takes place once a year, usually in January.
More than 3,000 people in Phoenix sleep on the streets, according to last year’s tally, and more than 9,000 people across the county experience homelessness, including those inside and outside shelters. This number is considered a low estimate, and this year’s numbers are expected to be even higher.
Scott Hall, deputy director of the Homeless Solutions Office in Phoenix, said: “We weren’t immune to it.”
Hall went out with the team around 5:30 on Tuesday morning to survey the neighborhood from 27th Street to 35th Street and from Cactus Road to Thunderbird Road.
“Seeing someone on the street is unacceptable to us,” Hall said.
His approach was to drive through neighborhoods and stop to interact with people who might appear unprotected. We asked them if they would like to participate in surveys to help gather demographic data about their population.
“A lot of times it’s people using bonds,” Hall explained. “Severe mental illness. Substance abuse problems. No family ties. No family. Kicked out of the rental market. Name it. It’s the whole spectrum.”
There is a story behind each number.
12News spoke with a man named Sam after being investigated. He told us that after a fight with his family, he ended up on the streets.
“There is no easy way out of that situation,” Sam said.
When we spoke to him, he was about to sleep on his slouches in a church near 35th Street and Cactus Road. Temperatures dropped to near freezing overnight, and he spent his days lying on his stoop with his sleeping bag, hat, and blanket.
“Cement,” he said. “It’s almost unbearable.”
A few hundred feet away, another man burst out of a makeshift tent and joined the count.
“It’s just brutal here,” said Harlan Cleavenger.
Harlan Cleavenger said he was kicked out of his house after getting into a fight with his current ex-girlfriend.
“Everybody’s stereotyped that the homeless are drug addicts and thieves,” Cleavenger said. “It’s not always the case.”
He shares the camp with a friend who said he had been homeless on and off for the past 20 years. Their tents consist of tarp-covered carts and umbrellas.
“And there’s a blanket,” said Cleavenger. “that’s it.”
They said they hadn’t tried to enter the shelter recently. They also said the street teams they serve are not consistent in their area.
“What if you were homeless and found work on the street? Oh, it’s hard,” Cleavenger said.
The annual tally is a way to identify where people need help most and gather data that can help secure funding in the future.
City of Phoenix staff said data collected across the county on Tuesday should be available in a few weeks.
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