Legislation to compensate property owners for homeless nuisances to go to voters
Arizona property owners will be able to seek a property tax refund if their city, town or county fails to take steps to clear out encampments, stop public drinking or abate other nuisances created by homeless people under a measure the Legislature wants voters to approve in November.
Connecting struggling people to quality jobs is critical
When we invest in our unemployed and underemployed populations, we invest in individuals who can, in turn, contribute to our local economy. These individuals have the potential to become consumers, taxpayers, and contributors to the economic growth of Phoenix.
Study says US is ill-prepared to ensure housing for growing number of older people
As its population ages, the United States is ill-prepared to adequately house and care for the growing number of older people, concludes a new report being released today by Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies.
‘Eternally complex problems’: bipartisan advocates talk affordable housing
A bipartisan group of housing reform advocates, from current and former state lawmakers to government leaders, gathered recently to talk about the lack of affordable housing in Arizona and solutions.
Tested, successful Scottsdale model ignored by Gress
With much fanfare, on Sept. 13, state Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, choreographed a committee hearing at the Scottsdale Civic Library, which Gress characterized as an “Ongoing Fight Against Scottsdale’s Taxpayer Funded Homeless Hotel Plan.”
The crisis hiding in plain sight? Advocating for 1.2+ million students facing homelessness
In 1988, about 1% of U.S. families were experiencing homelessness. Today, that number has grown to 34%. Since 2004, the number of students experiencing homelessness has risen by 63%. In a 2022 report from The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE), it was reported that 1,280,886 students experienced homelessness during the 2019-2020 school year, which represented 2.5% of all students enroll[...]
Q&A with Governor Katie Hobbs
In her first legislative session as governor, Katie Hobbs had to navigate a sharply divided Legislature, at times working closely with Republican leadership while also facing attempts by GOP lawmakers to thwart her agenda.
Judge must decide timeline for Phoenix to clear out homeless camp
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge is now tasked with deciding the timeline for the city of Phoenix to clear out the 800 or so people living in the homeless camp, “the Zone.”
Attorneys for property owners in ‘the Zone’ ask for firm deadline for clearing out homeless residents
Attorneys for property owners in “the Zone” asked a Maricopa County Superior Court judge to set a firm deadline for the city of Phoenix to clear out the homeless population from the area, while the city asked the judge to allow the Office of Homeless Solutions to proceed at its own pace.
Hobbs picked abortion support over vulnerable women
In January, Gov. Katie Hobbs threatened to line-item veto programs to support homeless pregnant women – and she got her wish last month, signing a $17.8 billion budget that had no room for programs that have served the most vulnerable Arizonans for years.
White House vows more federal aid to reduce homelessness in 5 cities and California
Five major U.S. cities, including Phoenix, and the state of California will receive federal help to get unsheltered residents into permanent housing under a new plan launched Thursday as part of the Biden administration's larger goal to reduce homelessness 25% by 2025.
City and state leaders can tackle affordable housing crisis together
In recent years, I’ve been quoted as saying, homelessness is not AN issue, it is THE issue. I encourage our legislators to partner with local community leaders to turn this around before it’s too late.