Gov. Katie Hobbs Approves Another $16 Million For Homeless Shelters And Services

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October 27, 2026

By Staff Reporter |

Gov. Katie Hobbs authorized $16 million more in grants to build additional shelter beds and maintain services for the homeless in Arizona.

The Hobbs administration sourced the $16 million from the state’s Housing Trust Fund, which was originally established by the legislature nearly 40 years ago to assist low-income families with housing. The fund exists within the Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH), and unclaimed property makes up one of its main sources of income.

ADOH Director Ruby Dhillon-Williams said in a press release issued last week that the additional investment would fund “solutions that help reduce the number of unhoused Arizonans.”

Hobbs said in the press release that health and safety come from the availability and access to shelter.

“Access to safe shelter is critical for the security and wellbeing of Arizonans,” said Hobbs. “With this funding, we will ensure more Arizona families have a roof over their heads and the services they need to get back on their feet.”

This latest investment is a continuation of the Hobbs administration’s housing first approach.

Housing first refers to policies in which homeless individuals are given housing prior to receiving treatment for the root causes of their homelessness, like drug addiction. City of Phoenix officials identified the housing first approach as the causation for “The Zone,” the city’s mass homeless encampment plaguing its downtown.

One of Hobbs’ first investments as governor in the way of homeless solutions was the city of Tucson’s Housing First program. Hobbs hasn’t openly advocated for housing first since taking office; on the campaign trail, Hobbs expressly advocated for housing first but acknowledged that it wasn’t an approach widely accepted by voters.

“Housing first is a model that works. We know it works. I don’t think we have a lot of political will to institute programs like that here. But we know it works and we should be utilizing models that are successful to address this issue,” said Hobbs in an interview with The Copper Courier in November 2022, several days before winning the gubernatorial election.

The grant awardees for this latest investment include:

Flagstaff Shelter Services in Flagstaff, $2 million
UMOM New Day Centers in Phoenix, $2 million
ARM of Save the Family Foundation in Mesa, $1 million
Catholic Charities Community Services in Bullhead City and Flagstaff, $1 million
City of Phoenix, $1 million
City of Tucson, $1 million
COPA Health in Phoenix, $1 million
Keys to Change in Phoenix, $1 million
Primavera Foundation in Tucson, $1 million
Central Arizona Shelter Services in Phoenix, $901,000
Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona in Sierra Vista, $815,000
Phoenix Dream Center in Phoenix, $700,000
Sister Jose Women’s Center in Tucson, $700,000
Justa Center in Phoenix, $500,000
Coalition for Compassion and Justice in Prescott, $499,000
Cornerstone Mission Project in Kingman, $249,000
Gila Valley Samaritan Home in Graham and Greenlee counties, $197,000
La Frontera Center in Tucson, $140,000

The Hobbs administration previously gave $38 million through the state’s Housing Trust Fund to implement housing first approaches for preventing and addressing homelessness.