Finding Maricopa County homeless resources can be confusing when you are homeless, at risk of losing housing, or trying to help someone find shelter and housing assistance.
Maricopa County has shelters, street outreach teams, Coordinated Entry, food assistance, behavioral-health crisis services, rental assistance, and longer-term housing programs, but they do not all use the same intake process.
The most important first step is identifying which system fits your immediate situation.
A family with children does not enter the system the same way as a single adult. Veterans have specialized resources. Someone fleeing domestic violence should use confidential domestic-violence services rather than an ordinary shelter intake. And someone who needs affordable housing several months from now has a different need from someone who has nowhere safe to sleep tonight.
This guide organizes the major Maricopa County resources by situation so you can start in the right place.
If you need shelter now, start with the appropriate entry point
Maricopa County uses Coordinated Entry to help people experiencing homelessness connect with available housing and homelessness services.
Coordinated Entry does not mean that one phone call guarantees a shelter bed or apartment. It provides an organized way to assess needs, connect people with appropriate services, and prioritize limited homelessness resources.
The correct starting point depends on the household.
Families with children
Families with dependent children who need emergency shelter should start with the Family Housing Hub.
Family Housing Hub
Phone: 602-595-8700
The Family Housing Hub serves as a central access point for families experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County. Families can be screened for shelter and other housing resources.
Another useful starting point is 2-1-1 Arizona, particularly when the family needs help identifying current resources or alternatives that might prevent homelessness.
Call 2-1-1 or 877-211-8661.
Shelter availability changes. Contacting the Family Housing Hub or a shelter provider does not guarantee immediate placement.
Some family shelter organizations also conduct their own screening. For example, Family Promise of Greater Phoenix currently instructs families with at least one child to call 480-659-5227 for a phone screening for its emergency shelter program.
Single adults
Single adults experiencing homelessness can begin with the Brian Garcia Welcome Center.
Brian Garcia Welcome Center
206 S. 12th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-229-5155
The Welcome Center connects adults experiencing homelessness with services that can include shelter navigation, Coordinated Entry, identification assistance, health care, employment resources, and other support.
The nearby Key Campus includes multiple homelessness-service organizations, so people seeking help should ask specifically which service or intake they need rather than assuming every program has the same eligibility or availability.
Veterans
Veterans experiencing homelessness can contact the VA Community Resource and Referral Center (CRRC).
VA Community Resource and Referral Center
1500 E. Thomas Rd., Suite 106
Phoenix, AZ 85014
Phone: 602-248-6040
Veterans may have access to specialized federal housing and homelessness programs that are not available to the general population.
Youth ages 12–17
Young people ages 12 through 17 who need a safe place can contact Safe Place.
Phone: 602-841-5799
Youth can also text SAFE and their current address to 44357 to receive information about a nearby Safe Place location.
Young adults ages 18–24
Young adults may qualify for youth-specific homelessness resources even though they are legally adults.
Because available youth programs and access points can change, contact 2-1-1 Arizona or a current Maricopa County Coordinated Entry resource and specifically ask for services for young adults ages 18–24.
If you are fleeing domestic violence
Someone fleeing domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, trafficking, or another dangerous situation may need a confidential pathway rather than a general homeless shelter.
In Maricopa County, SAFEDVS provides access to domestic-violence emergency services.
SAFEDVS 24-Hour Crisis Line
480-890-3039
Toll-free: 844-723-3387
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is also available 24 hours a day:
800-799-7233
Text START to 88788
If there is immediate danger, call 911.
Domestic-violence shelter locations may be confidential. Do not travel to an address found online unless the provider has instructed you to go there.
Behavioral-health crisis help is available statewide
A behavioral-health crisis requires a different response from an ordinary housing search.
Arizona residents can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Arizona also operates a statewide crisis line:
1-844-534-HOPE (4673)
Text: 4HOPE (44673)
Crisis services are available to Arizona residents regardless of insurance coverage.
A crisis line can help with an immediate behavioral-health emergency, but it should not be confused with an affordable-housing or shelter waiting list.
If the primary problem is homelessness rather than an immediate behavioral-health crisis, use the appropriate homelessness entry point as well.
Street outreach can help people living outside
Someone sleeping outside, in an encampment, or in another unsheltered situation may have difficulty reaching a shelter or service center.
Street outreach teams work directly with people experiencing unsheltered homelessness and can help connect them with shelter, identification, benefits, health care, Coordinated Entry, and other resources.
Phoenix Rescue Mission operates outreach services throughout the Valley. Its main contact number is 602-233-3000.
Maricopa County also contracts with organizations providing street outreach, navigation, shelter, case management, and other homelessness services.
For the most appropriate outreach team in a particular area, call 2-1-1.
Emergency shelters serve different populations
Not every shelter accepts every household.
Some serve families. Others serve single adults, women, men, youth, veterans, or people with particular service needs. Intake procedures also change depending on available beds and funding.
For that reason, call or complete the provider’s current screening process before traveling to a shelter whenever possible.
Family Promise of Greater Phoenix
Family Promise serves families with children experiencing homelessness and operates emergency shelter and supportive services.
Phone: 480-659-5227
Family Promise also has a pet-friendly component, which can be particularly important for families who otherwise face the choice of giving up a pet in order to enter shelter.
UMOM New Day Centers
UMOM provides shelter and housing services for families experiencing homelessness.
3333 E. Van Buren St.
Phoenix, AZ 85008
Main phone: 602-275-7852
Families seeking emergency shelter should begin with the current family intake process rather than arriving expecting an immediately available bed.
Halle Women’s Center
UMOM’s Halle Women’s Center serves single women without children who need emergency shelter.
Phone: 602-362-5833
Women can call directly to ask about the current shelter waiting list and intake process.
East Valley Men’s Center
A New Leaf’s East Valley Men’s Center provides emergency shelter and supportive services for adult men.
2345 N. Country Club Dr.
Mesa, AZ 85201
The program currently directs prospective residents to complete its pre-screening process rather than calling staff for direct admission.
For shelter-placement assistance, individuals can also call 877-211-8661.
Central Arizona Shelter Services
Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) operates emergency shelter for adults experiencing homelessness in the Phoenix area.
Because shelter intake and bed availability can change, begin with the Brian Garcia Welcome Center or current Coordinated Entry guidance rather than assuming a bed is available simply by arriving at the shelter.
Family Promise and other family shelters
Families should not assume that every shelter uses identical intake procedures.
The Family Housing Hub remains an important centralized access point, while some organizations, such as Family Promise, also provide direct screening for their own programs.
The practical rule is simple: call first whenever possible and follow the current instructions from the provider.
Food assistance is available even when shelter is not
Someone experiencing homelessness may need food assistance while waiting for shelter or housing.
Several Phoenix-area organizations provide free meals or food boxes.
St. Vincent de Paul Phoenix Dining Room
1075 W. Jackson St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-261-6805
Current meal schedule:
Breakfast: Monday–Friday, 7:00–8:00 a.m.
Lunch: Daily, 11:00 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Dinner: Friday, 4:00–5:00 p.m.
St. Vincent de Paul NextPhase Family Dining Room
420 W. Watkins Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85003
Families with children under 18 can receive dinner:
Monday–Friday, 4:00–6:00 p.m.
NourishPHX
501 S. 9th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ
Phone: 602-254-7450
NourishPHX provides food, clothing, and other assistance.
Current service hours are Monday–Friday, 9:00–11:00 a.m. A photo ID is requested.
St. Mary’s Food Bank
3131 W. Thomas Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85017
St. Mary’s operates food distribution and other hunger-relief services. Hours and distribution procedures can change, so verify the current schedule before traveling.
Hope for Hunger Food Bank
Phoenix Rescue Mission operates the Hope for Hunger Food Bank:
5605 N. 55th Ave.
Glendale, AZ 85301
Phone: 602-233-3000
Current hours are Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Walk-ins from the local area are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The food bank currently requires photo identification and has household visit limits, so check current requirements before going.
For additional food resources close to your location, call 2-1-1.
Transitional and bridge housing are not all the same
The term transitional housing is sometimes used loosely for anything between a shelter and a permanent apartment.
In practice, programs vary considerably.
Some provide time-limited housing with case management. Some serve specific populations. Others are recovery-oriented environments or bridge housing intended to help people move from unsheltered homelessness into a more stable setting while permanent housing is pursued.
The length of stay, cost, eligibility, services, and expectations depend on the particular program.
A sober living home, for example, should not automatically be described as transitional housing simply because residents eventually move elsewhere. Sober living is a recovery-oriented housing model with its own purpose.
Similarly, a Behavioral Health Residential Facility provides treatment and should not be treated as an ordinary housing solution.
When considering any structured residential program, ask what type of program it actually is, whether it is licensed when licensing applies, what it costs, how long residents can remain, and what happens when the program ends.
Rapid Re-Housing can help people leave homelessness
Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) helps eligible people experiencing homelessness move into permanent rental housing with temporary financial assistance and housing-focused services.
The apartment can become the participant’s permanent home, but the RRH subsidy is temporary.
The amount and duration of assistance vary. Under federal Continuum of Care rules, RRH rental assistance can extend for up to 24 months, but that does not mean every household receives 24 months.
Participant rent contributions also vary by program rather than following one universal 30% rule.
HighVolting’s Rapid Rehousing Information guide explains eligibility, temporary rental assistance, housing search, rent contributions, and what happens when assistance ends.
Permanent Supportive Housing provides longer-term assistance for eligible households
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) combines long-term housing assistance with supportive services for eligible people who have disabilities and significant housing-stability needs.
It should not be described simply as “free housing.”
A participant’s rent contribution is determined under the rules of the particular program. Someone with no income may have little or no tenant contribution in some subsidized programs, while another participant with income may be required to contribute toward rent.
Eligibility also does not guarantee immediate placement.
Permanent Supportive Housing is a limited resource, and homelessness systems use eligibility and prioritization procedures to determine referrals as appropriate units and subsidies become available.
HighVolting’s No Free Housing guide explains the difference between PSH, Section 8, AHCCCS housing, subsidized apartments, Rapid Re-Housing, and situations in which a person with zero income may qualify for assistance.
Housing Choice Vouchers and subsidized housing are separate pathways
Someone experiencing homelessness should not rely only on the homelessness system.
Housing Choice Vouchers, public housing, project-based vouchers, privately operated subsidized apartments, and other affordable-housing programs have separate application and waiting-list processes.
A person can therefore be working with Coordinated Entry while also applying to appropriate affordable-housing opportunities.
HighVolting’s A Guide to Finding Your Apartment explains how to approach subsidized housing, waiting lists, public housing, AHCCCS housing, shared housing, documentation, and rental barriers.
Housing-authority waiting lists open and close. Never rely on an old statement that a particular waiting list takes a fixed number of years.
Check the responsible housing authority for current status.
Emergency Housing Vouchers are no longer a general new-voucher pathway
The federal Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program was created using a limited allocation of vouchers.
It should not be treated as an ordinary current voucher program that anyone entering Coordinated Entry can expect to receive.
HUD states that very few public housing agencies have remaining EHV leasing authority, and turnover EHVs generally cannot be reissued after September 30, 2023.
Someone seeking housing assistance today should therefore focus on currently available local programs and waiting lists rather than planning around receiving an Emergency Housing Voucher.
Arizona Section 811 serves a specialized population
Arizona participates in HUD’s Section 811 Project Rental Assistance program for eligible extremely low-income people with disabilities.
Section 811 is not simply a general disability voucher that anyone can obtain by searching for an open apartment.
It has specific eligibility, referral, property, and program requirements.
People interested in disability-related affordable housing should review current information from the Arizona Department of Housing and verify eligibility rather than assuming that a disability alone guarantees Section 811 assistance.
If you are homeless and also have a serious mental illness
People receiving behavioral-health services may have additional housing pathways through the AHCCCS Housing Program (AHP).
Most AHP housing resources are reserved for AHCCCS members with a Serious Mental Illness (SMI) designation, although limited resources exist for certain members with General Mental Health and/or Substance Use Disorder needs who meet additional criteria.
Having AHCCCS by itself does not qualify someone for an AHP housing subsidy.
If you receive behavioral-health services, ask your health plan, case manager, housing specialist, or treatment team whether an AHP housing pathway may apply to your situation.
Keep pursuing permanent housing while using emergency services
Emergency shelter solves an immediate problem: where will I sleep safely right now?
It does not automatically solve the longer-term problem of finding housing that can be sustained.
Someone in shelter should continue working on permanent housing whenever possible.
That may include completing Coordinated Entry, maintaining contact with a case manager, applying to appropriate subsidized properties, monitoring housing-authority waiting lists, addressing identification or benefits problems, resolving rental barriers, and considering shared housing when it is safe and financially sustainable.
Keep records of every housing application, confirmation number, waiting-list notice, appointment, and portal login.
A missed letter or outdated phone number can cause someone to lose contact with a housing program after waiting months for an opportunity.
Where to start
If you are unsure which resource fits your situation, use these starting points:
Family with dependent children: Family Housing Hub, 602-595-8700, or call 2-1-1.
Single adult experiencing homelessness: Brian Garcia Welcome Center, 602-229-5155.
Veteran: VA Community Resource and Referral Center, 602-248-6040.
Youth ages 12–17: Safe Place, 602-841-5799, or text SAFE and your address to 44357.
Domestic violence survivor: SAFEDVS, 480-890-3039 or 844-723-3387.
Behavioral-health crisis: Call or text 988.
Unsure what service you need: Call 2-1-1 Arizona.
Before you travel to any resource
Shelter beds, intake procedures, meal schedules, funding, eligibility rules, and program availability can change quickly.
Call first whenever possible.
Ask whether the program is accepting new people, whether you need an appointment or referral, what documents you should bring, whether there are age or household restrictions, and whether there is a waiting list.
For housing programs, also ask whether the assistance is temporary or ongoing and what portion of the housing cost you will eventually be responsible for.
Knowing those details before traveling can prevent wasted trips and help you focus on resources that actually fit your situation.
HighVolting provides housing information and directory resources. It does not control shelter placement, housing-program eligibility, waiting lists, or funding decisions. Always confirm current availability and requirements directly with the provider.
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