Arizona has experienced a significant rise in its homeless population during the past five years, according to data from the state’s department of economic security.
The latest numbers show a growing number of people living on the streets and fewer finding space in shelters, underscoring a deepening crisis driven by rising housing costs, limited resources, and extreme heat.
Numbers
Hovering around 10,000 homeless prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, that number has skyrocketed to more than 15,000 as of 2025 in the latest statewide Point-In-Time count — with nearly two-thirds concentrated in Maricopa County.
The Phoenix area alone accounts for the largest share, where the annual count recorded 9,734 individuals without stable housing in 2025 — the highest number on record.
But the crisis is not limited to Phoenix.
In Pima County, which includes Tucson, homelessness has increased, with more than 2,200 people counted in 2025 — a 5.5% rise from the previous year.
Trends
The increase marks a continuation of a multiyear trend.
Since 2019, homelessness in the region has surged by roughly 47%, reflecting both population growth and mounting economic pressures. While the overall increase is significant, a more concerning shift is happening within the data: a growing share of people are living unsheltered.
More than half of those experiencing homelessness in the Phoenix area are now unsheltered, meaning they live in encampments, vehicles, or on the streets rather than in emergency shelters or transitional housing. This represents a sharp increase from previous years and signals a system under strain. In the past year alone, unsheltered homelessness rose by more than 20%, even as the total homeless population grew more modestly.
Advocates and service providers point to a loss of shelter capacity as a key factor.
During past year, the region lost more than 1,000 shelter beds, limiting options for those seeking temporary housing. As a result, more individuals are left with nowhere to go, contributing to the rise in street homelessness across Phoenix.
At the same time, Arizona’s housing market has become increasingly difficult to navigate for low-income residents. Rents have skyrocketed in recent years, while wages have not kept pace.
For many, a single financial setback — such as a job loss, medical expense, or eviction — can quickly lead to homelessness.
Local housing advocates say the system is seeing more people falling into homelessness than it can move out.
The heat is on
Beyond housing and economics, Arizona faces a unique and deadly challenge: extreme heat.
With summer temperatures regularly exceeding 110 degrees, dangerous conditions are created for people living outdoors. Public health data shows that a significant portion of heat-related deaths in Maricopa County involve individuals experiencing homelessness, highlighting the life-threatening risks of being unsheltered in the desert climate.
Emergency rooms across the region report disproportionately high rates of heat-related illness among homeless patients, particularly during prolonged heat waves. Cooling centers and outreach programs have expanded in recent years, but gaps in access remain.
Most of Arizona’s homeless population consists of adults over the age of 25, with men making up a larger share. However, service providers say they are seeing increasing diversity in who becomes homeless, including families, older adults, and people who had previously maintained stable housing.
Homelessness in Arizona is not only increasing, but changing in ways that make it more visible and more dangerous. With fewer shelter options and more people forced to live outside, the issue is now impossible to ignore.
Matt Loeschman has had two separate stints at Independent Newsmedia. He began as a reporter covering Peoria and later Surprise from 2000-2009. In 2017, he returned to Arizona and INI as the news editor of the Daily News-Sun (now the Phoenix Independent). He previously covered the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League for more than a decade.
Community: During high school football season since 2017, he contributes live postgame radio reports to the AzPreps 365 Friday Night Football Wrapup Show. He supports organizations such as Phoenix Children’s, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley and the American Cancer Society.
Education: The University of Texas at Austin majoring in Journalism-News and Public Affairs.
Random Fact: He can sing and he has been fortunate to meet many famous people during his journalism career including First Lady Hillary Clinton, King of Country Music George Strait and Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey. Attended all 4 home games of the 2001 World Series.
Hobbies: Watching and playing a wide variety of sports, including golf, tennis, pickleball and softball. Playing PlayStation 5, working out, shopping and reading.
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