GOVERNMENT
SLEEPING LOCATION
LENGTH OF HOMELESSNESS
Homeless people in Pinal County
AGE
30%
40%
25%
35%
33%
7%
Abandoned building Behind a building By the train tracks Encampment Park Van or camper Car
23%
Black 4%
21%
White 70%
22.5%
22%
30%
Asian or Pacific Islander 1% Native American 17% Multiple races 7%
2%
13%
15%
20%
36%
13%
8%
RACE
10%
2%
5%
7.5%
10%
4%
Women 36%
4%
8%
75+ 0.5%
18%
0%
0%
GENDER
Under 18 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74
< 1 month
1-6 months
6-12 months
1-3 years
3+ years
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Men 62%
BY THE NUMBERS
EMPLOYMENT
White Black Asian Native American Multiple
Non-binary or transgender 2%
78%
Table 1
80%
332% Rise in people experiencing homelessness in Pinal County since 2017 Behind a building
421,392 People in the U.S. who experienced homelessness in 2022
13,553 People in Arizona who experienced homelessness in 2022
1,017 Youth in Arizona who experienced homelessness in 2022 < 1 month 1-6 months 6-12 months
219 Chronically homeless people in Pinal County last year Table 1
97 Homeless youth enrolled in Maricopa Unified School District last year 4%
19 Decedents confirmed to be chronically homeless by the Pinal County Medical Examiner last year
70 4 1
Table 1
Source: Pinal County Coalition to End Homelessness
Table 1
60%
Men Women Non-binary or transgender 40%
Table 1
Men For Groh and his girlfriend, Jessica, the process of getting back on their feet included volunteering two days a week with Jim Shoaf, founder and CEO of the Maricopa Pantry. That experience working at the food bank has allowed the couple to reset mentally and gain a sense of self-worth. “If somebody can find something that gives themselves value, that makes everything easier,” Groh said. 62 Women 36 Non-binary or transgender 2 He likened the process to filling a hole in the ground. “I dug myself in a hole and the first thing you got to do is stop digging,” Groh said. “You need to get rid of your shovels, get away from anybody else that has those shovels and then you have to find people with dirt to start filling that hole back up until you get to the surface.” Shoaf noted the difference between a handout and a “hand-up.” 55-64 65-74 75+ 1 “Nobody needs a handout, they need to be lifted up and given a hand-up,” Shoaf said. “You’re helping them make progress. They’re stepping forward all the time and if they fall down, you be there and pick them back up.” It’s different down here The U.S. Supreme Court in June ruled 6-3 to allow municipalities to punish people for sleeping outside in public places. Last year, one unhoused man was tased and arrested for trespassing at a Cobblestone Farms park after he was found sleeping under playground equipment. A Maricopa police spokesperson pointed to city code that it is unlawful for anyone to camp in a park, wash, greenbelt or city property. Homelessness presents itself differently in Maricopa than in Phoenix, which until recently hosted a massive homeless encampment colony called “The Zone.” For years, thousands of people lived in tents and carboard structures on 42 acres near 7th Avenue and Jefferson Street in the west side of downtown Phoenix. It was cleared last fall. Encampments in and around Maricopa are much less permanent. Under 18 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 Unemployed Full-time Part-time Day labor Seasonal
American
4%
17
Abandoned building
e
7
7%
13%
5%
22%
10%
13%
By the train tracks
2%
1-3 years 3+ years
Sources: National Alliance to End Homelessness, Pinal County Medical Examiner
35%
20%
21%
6%
5%
5%
Encampment
36%
33%
Seasonal 2%
23%
Park 2% due to a changing family dynamic. “It could be if parents lose their jobs or get divorced,” said Assistant Superintendent Nancy Diab-Scott. “There’s also housing. What does housing look like within a community, is it affordable for them and does it allow them to stay?” Van or camper 8% Car 18% The number of students experiencing homelessness has slowly grown over the years, according to Diab-Scott. “The primary reason is the lack of affordable housing, forcing families to share housing with others,” she said. Students experiencing homelessness receive assistance under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The 1987 federal law ensures homeless students have the same educational opportunities as their housed peers by removing barriers to their education. This includes providing meals, clothing, hygiene items, school supplies and trans- portation for these students, and access to community resources for their families.
0%
25% Full-time
Unemployed
Part-time
Day labor
8%
“There’s no such thing as an encampment down here,” Shoaf said. “You might run across them at Walmart or other stores, but the next day they’re gone. That’s the thing, they’re mobile.” InMaricopa reporters found one small homeless encampment along the Central Arizona Project Aqueduct near Val Vista and Warren Roads in Thunderbird Farms. Unknown people were attempting to escape the heat by living underground. Old tires lined the desert soil for insulation and, except for a makeshift gate and a parked pickup truck, the encampment was hidden under what otherwise looked like a pile of trash. Shoaf said the people living in this camp, which was littered with cardboard lean-tos and rusty exercise equipment, likely chose the canal area for the convenience of swimming, fishing and washing. They weren’t alone. Shoaf said he knew of one young man who camps near Raceway Bar and Grill, another person who sleeps near Walmart and others who sleep in empty fields. Generally, homeless people in Maricopa are less destitute and more “ex-middle class” — couch surfing or living in their 0.5% 1 Table 1 78% 5% 6% 5% 2%
1
Nobody needs a handout, they need to be lifted up and given a hand-up” JIM SHOAF
1
1
An underground homeless encampment near Val Vista and Warren Roads in Thunderbird Farms is made of tires, cardboard, plywood and exercise equipment.
In Liermann’s experience, these youth are especially vulnerable when they try to survive while lacking a stable living environment or a support system. “Survival behaviors put them at risk for making bad decisions because they’re in a bad situation,” she said. “We want to prevent that by providing a support system where they know where they’re going to sleep, where they’re going to eat and who they can count on.”
Maricopa Vice Mayor and Maricopa High School counselor Amber Liermann witnesses homelessness first- hand. “I’ve been aware of the homeless population here in Maricopa for the last 20 years because of my connection with the school district. There are families and children that struggle with housing,” she said.
cars, according to point-in-time counts. MUSD’s McKinney-Vento students It’s not only adults facing homelessness. 1
During the last school year, Maricopa Unified School District identified 97 students as homeless. Usually, this is
InMaricopa.com | August 2024
August 2024 | InMaricopa.com
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