When Gov. Katie Hobbs introduced a plan during her State of the State Address to reduce the number of homeless veterans in the state, many veterans advocates and lawmakers met the proposal with optimism.

Hobbs released her budget proposal Jan. 17 that calls for $5 million to be allocated to the Homes for Heroes Fund, which would aid in the development of a statewide plan that would focus on housing solutions, counseling, social services, veteran treatment courts and other programs for homeless veterans. The money would also pay for grants that allow community organizations to expand their services. The plan would be implemented for the 2027 fiscal year.

Support for homeless veterans has emerged as a bipartisan issue with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle joining advocacy groups and nonprofit organizations that  have spent years tackling the issue by feeding veterans and providing mental health services and transitional housing.

“Veterans housing has been an issue and it’s an issue everywhere regardless of what state you go to,” said Rep. Stacey Travers, D-Phoenix. Travers, an Army veteran, put in a budget request for veterans housing and has been working with the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services to address the issue. 

“The governor cares deeply about veterans and veterans issues and (I’m) more than happy to see her investing in the veteran community here in Arizona,” Travers said.

Homelessness statistics for veterans have fluctuated throughout the years but the number decreased by 13% in 2024 from the previous year to 440, according to the 2024 Point-in-Time Count Report published by the Maricopa Association of Governments.

Homeless veterans can face a number of unique issues such as PTSD, which is compounded by a lack of access to medication and services if they are living on the street.

“If they’re homeless, they’re not getting the medication to push that down,” said Rep. Walt Blackman, R-Snowflake. “If we’re talking about physical needs when a veteran has been injured either in a combat zone or not in a combat zone, they don’t have the resources to be able to take care of it. So being homeless adds additional burdens to that veteran.”

Blackman, an Army combat veteran, supported Hobbs’ proposal, viewing it as an issue that transcends party lines.

 “This isn’t a partisan issue,” he said. “I welcome any ideas to help veterans.”

Blackman has introduced HB2393, which would appropriate $5 million from the state general fund to the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services to expand a warming center for veterans in Payson.

Homeless veterans can encounter other obstacles such as not being aware of the various services available to help them find housing and other assistance, said Michelle Jameson, executive director of U.S.VETS Phoenix.

“We have encountered veterans who are either unaware of their benefits or feel that another veteran is more deserving, leading them to decline benefits in the past,” Jameson said. “These benefits are not only important financially but also crucial for establishing access to mental and physical health care.”

U.S. VETS works with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Veterans’ Services and other groups to help veterans enroll in benefit programs. The organization also operates a transitional housing program and offers other services such as rental assistance, mental health and substance abuse treatment programs, medical and dental care, and employment services.

Some local governments have taken steps towards helping homeless veterans in their own cities. 

Glendale is working with the Maricopa County Human Services Department and the Kansas City-based Veterans Community Project to build 50 units for transitional housing on city owned property. The city will start by building between eight to ten cottages before eventually expanding, said Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers.

The city will host a groundbreaking for the project on Feb. 1 where Hobbs is expected to speak, Weiers said.

Weiers said he didn’t know all of the details of Hobbs proposal but that he and the governor are “in tune on this particular issue.”

“She has been a great advocate for the homeless and a great advocate for our veterans,” he said. “We both can do everything we can to make sure that we take care of that issue.”