Last week, the city of Mesa announced it would buy a motel and turn it into an emergency shelter for unhoused people.
Now, the city of Tempe is expanding its housing and services for people experiencing homelessness.
The city will double its occupancy at a shelter that was formerly a motel by adding more beds. It’s also planning to buy a second emergency shelter.
Tim Burch is the city’s director of community health and human services. He said they’re making two temporary positions permanent, in order to maintain the city’s 24/7 CARE & HOPE Line, which people can call if they or someone they know needs help.
“When folks do call in and need some assistance our HOPE (Homeless Outreach Prevention Effort) team responds. We’ve made over 14,000 engagements on the street this last year and over 1,000 of those have resulted in folks being able to get into shelter or some type of housing.”
Burch said the city is also expanding its Tempe Works program, which connects unsheltered people with city jobs.
"So Tempe Works is now looking beyond just the positions the city of Tempe can offer," he said. "We're actually recruiting landlords and looking for other employers to help individuals develop some transferable skills and get into the job market."
