The debate over addressing homelessness is complicated, but it boils down to some lawmakers wanting to focus on housing and others wanting to prioritize treatment.
PHOENIX — State Representative Matt Gress was on the phone discussing new legislation to address homelessness with a fellow lawmaker when he stopped in his tracks.
"Once the firefighters came and administered Narcan, it became clear to me what had happened," Gress said."That man's clock is ticking. I might not be there the next time he's experiencing an overdose and he could die." Last year, lawmakers approved $60 million for a new Homeless Shelter and Services fund, which falls under the state’s Department of Housing. That funding has already been divided up into grants for some providers."Do you think the money that's being used for homeless services now is being wasted?" asked I-Team reporter Erica Stapleton.
Gress also laid out new regulations for shelter signage and hotels being used as shelter spaces in earlier versions of the bill. "We're shooting ourselves in the foot if we just say, 'Oh, let's put them all in jail," Schwiebert said in an interview with 12News. "Not everybody who is homeless has a substance abuse issue or a mental health issue," she said.
The Key Campus, under the Keys to Change umbrella, is a one-stop shop for homeless services, including hundreds of shelter beds that are perpetually full. She added that it would be challenging to track people who come to the campus for help after they've left. "I think what happens is that housing-first gets cut off to be housing-only," she said."And that's not the definition of it. It is about meeting people where they're at."shows that in 2023, there were 19 new people experiencing homelessness for every 10 people to find housing.
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