Phoenix unveils new strategy for homeless: prioritizing housing
Oct. 25, 2012
CBS 5 News reports that Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton has unveiled Phoenix Homeless Initiative, a new city strategy to end homelessness in Phoenix by prioritizing housing for the chronically homeless in redeploying existing homeless services and grant funding at no new cost.
City officials say an additional 200 chronically homeless families and individuals will have access to permanent assisted housing over the next three years, starting in July 2013.
The Morrison Institute for Public Policy estimated there may be 20,000 to 30,000 people who are homeless on any day in Arizona. In Phoenix, a resident who is chronically homeless is defined as experiencing homelessness for a year or longer or more than four times in the last three years, and has a disabling medical, mental or addictive condition.
They are more likely to need medical care, and could easily create $40,500 in hospital costs per year - costs that are shared by the public, according to the Morrison Institute.
Read: Phoenix mayor unveils new homeless initiative
Read the Morrison Institute report: Richard's Reality: The Costs of Chronic Homeless in Context
