City opens Phoenix Navigation Center, a new homeless shelter with close to 300 emergency beds

Using a mix of state and city dollars, including American Rescue Plan Act funds, Phoenix opened close to 300 emergency beds at a shelter in west Phoenix earlier this week.

They’ll provide people with a place to stay, plus access to services from mental and physical health, to job opportunities and training through partnerships.

Rachel Milne, who directs the city’s Office of Homeless Solutions, said it’s the first city-funded shelter in west Phoenix.

“We've actually been meeting with our community advisory committee for almost a year now,” she said. “I think we started meeting with them last summer.”

Guests can be paid to participate in neighborhood beautification projects, get help finding other jobs or programs, and even receive physical or mental health care services.

City of Phoenix

“The 24-hour hotline, specifically, provides real-time response if they've got something going on in their neighborhood related to homelessness or the shelter itself,” Milne said, adding that the city also made improvements to the area, like better street lighting.

The timing of the new 71st Avenue location’s opening, she said, is crucial with temperatures already starting to rise.

“We have to have as many safe indoor places for people to go. [sic] And this site, just as all of our sites last year were utilized, we're going to have heavy referrals from heat respite sites into any of our open shelters this year,” said Milne. “So adding this capacity right now, with the summer kind of looming right in front of us, is just incredibly important.”

Milne said the next move is to maintain the new Phoenix Navigation Center — especially once Biden-era American Rescue Plan dollars dry up.