A U.S. Housing and Urban Development funding shift — designed to refocus federal housing assistance on drug and mental health treatment — could leave nearly 1,400 Phoenix-area families homeless next year, advocates warn.
Why it matters: The drastic change announced late last week dismantles the decades-old Housing First model in favor of a hard-line approach that’s grown popular in conservative circles.
The big picture: Homelessness has risen significantly in the Valley and nationwide in recent years — hitting a record high of more than 770,000 people in 2024 — raising questions about whether the federal government’s multibillion-dollar annual investment is working…