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Homelessness in Arizona rose by 3.5% in 2024 compared to 2023, HUD report shows

homeless shelter beds
Casey Kuhn/KJZZ
/
iStockphoto
Beds at the Phoenix Rescue Mission's campus in 2015.

The number of people experiencing homelessness in Arizona rose by 3.5% in 2024 compared to the year before. That came out to more than 14,700 people.

That’s according to the latest report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Sean Little with the Phoenix Rescue Mission says higher housing costs have played a big role.

"And obviously one of the other ones we run into is really the health side of things. People that are struggling through mental illnesses and addiction," Little said.

The report also said the number of people in families experiencing homelessness jumped 15% in the same timeframe.

More news on homelessness

Greg Hahne started as a news intern at KJZZ in 2020 and returned as a field correspondent in 2021. He learned his love for radio by joining Arizona State University's Blaze Radio, where he worked on the production team.