PHOENIX — Valley officials are recruiting volunteers to help document the number of people experiencing homelessness in metro Phoenix.
The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) is conducting its annual point-in-time (PIT) homelessness count before the sun rises on Jan. 28.
Over 1,000 volunteers are needed to scour alleys, parks, riverbeds, streets, doorways and other areas where unhoused individuals are known to sleep. The work includes conducting brief surveys of people experiencing homelessness.
Additionally, the PIT count will record the number of people staying in shelters that night.
“Gathering data is an important tool in creating regional solutions to the problem,” Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke, the MAG chair, said in a press release Tuesday. “Monitoring and assessing trends from year to year helps Valley leaders better understand the issues and create meaningful policies to ease the strain on our communities.”
How to volunteer to help with Maricopa County homelessness count
Local governments, nonprofits and faith-based communities provide volunteers for the operation. Valley residents interested in lending a hand can reach out to their local PIT coordinator through the contacts for each city listed here.
MAG coordinates the PIT count each year on behalf of the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care (COC), the Valley branch of a federal program committed to ending homelessness.
The January 2024 PIT count documented 9,435 people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County. That was about 200 hundred fewer than a year earlier, with a 17% decrease in people living on the streets and a 13% increase for those staying in shelters.
Additionally, it was the first PIT count since 2019 that documented more unhoused people with shelter (5,359) than without it (4,076).
“We have worked extremely hard … to ensure that there are adequate places for people experiencing homelessness to find shelter as they look for somewhere to live on a permanent basis. We are proud of this progress but recognize that there is still much work to do,” Vicki Phillips, co-chair of the CoC Board, said in the release.
