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HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED A HOMELESS PERSON IN MARICOPA? In the days following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to allow municipalities to punish people for sleeping outside in public places, InMaricopa asked its readers a simple question: Have you encountered a homeless person in the city? For a city that regularly touts its median household income of $88,000 (21% higher than the average Arizona city) and claims to have few homeless people, a surprising number of people surveyed said they have encountered at least one such person in Maricopa.
I had a lot of difficulties. The main one for me was the feeling of being unloved.” JOHN, HOMELESS HIGH SCHOOLER
Bodycam video released last month give a first-hand look at how interactions between Maricopa police and homeless people can sometimes turn violent.
“Thank you for your excellent care and professionalism. The food was awesome and the staff was very helpful and kind. I will recommend Exceptional Health to anyone who “Such a wonderful caring staff! We came in very scared and concerned but were admitted quickly and efficiently. What a blessing for Maricopa to have a facility like this! - Sharron Owen, Patient “ Excellent care and hospitality. The nurses were attentive and very kind. Great job! :) - Anthony Antone, Patient is in need of future care. - Kevin Connelly, Patient
Couch-surfing in high school One senior at a Maricopa high school found himself needing access to these services after escaping an abusive home. “It turned violent and I was forced to leave for the safety of myself and everyone else,” said John, who asked not to be identified by his full name. “I didn’t have a place to stay, so I was forced to either scrounge or go live with someone I barely knew.” He spent the remaining months of his senior year bouncing between homes, trying to stay enrolled in school and working nights to afford necessities. It was a situation John never thought he’d find himself in. “I’ve always seen homeless people and thought, ‘I’ll never be that way, I’ll never fall down that hole,’” he said. “But I didn’t realize you can have a job and still be homeless. I worked three jobs, and I didn’t have a home. I bounced around from two or three friends’ houses. “I had a lot of difficulties. The main one for me was the feeling of being unloved. On multiple occasions, I had suicidal tendencies. No one wants to know that you don’t really have anyone or a place to go.”
Andrew Guajardo-Mickell, 23, sleeps under playground equipment at a Cobblestone Farms park.
John said help from friends and his school counselor kept him afloat. His school counselor “was actually the only reason I graduated high school was because she found a way for me to balance my school life with my work life,” he said. John said despite the difficulties, he hasn’t given up. “I hope to live just a regular life like any other person on this planet,” he said. “I hope to own a home, even if it’s a crappy home. I hope to have a car, and I hope to have a job. And I hope to be alive.”
No 21%
Yes 62%
HOW MANY HOMELESS
barriers that may affect their enrollment, attendance and academic success. The number of students identified by MUSD as homeless has grown 110% over the last four years, due
as MUSD high school students age 18 and older. Students in this category may be fleeing an abusive
home environment or foster youth displaced at age 18 but still considered vulnerable.
Not sure 17% Sample size: 600
STUDENTS ARE IN MARICOPA?
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law designed to ensure homeless students have the same educational opportunities as their housed peers, according to Dr. Nancy Diab-Scott, assistant superintendent of Maricopa Unified School District. This includes removing
97
Ye N
10,000%
Table 1
Yes
62
70
No
21
7,500%
Not sure
17
in part to the lack of affordable housing. Diab-Scott said this has forced many families
56
46
5,000%
to share housing within the district. Unaccompanied homeless youth, up 83% in the same period, are classified
2,500%
Contact Us :
11
9
8
6
0%
520.534.0700 www.ehc24.com/maricopa
2020-2021
2021-2022
2022-2023
2023-2024
1
McKinney-Vento students
Unaccompanied homeless youth
InMaricopa.com | August 2024
16
Table 1 McKinney-
Unaccompani
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