Tempe, AZ - The City of Tempe is deepening its commitment to providing comprehensive services to individuals experiencing homelessness while meeting community needs through an expanded HOPE outreach team, greater collaboration with crisis responders, increased data analysis and new opportunities for volunteers.

With an emphasis on social innovation, Tempe has been enhancing its homeless response in recent months by intensifying outreach, addressing encampments, refining data collection and engaging the community in our efforts with new tools such as the one-call CARE & HOPE Line. The enhanced response is driven by compassion and the city’s goal to make homelessness a rare, brief and one-time experience.

Tempe focuses on a comprehensive system of support. This includes street outreach, case management, social services, crisis response, mental health resources, victim and veteran services, emergency and transitional shelter, housing navigation and permanent housing solutions. Led by Human Services staff, the response includes multiple city departments as well as valued nonprofit and faith partners.

New HOPE staff, hours of operation
Tempe has 11 HOPE outreach specialists, up from six this spring, and now has outreach staff available 24/7. A new HOPE team coordinator has also been on staff since earlier this year.

Team members are trained specialists, often with personal experiences with homelessness. They meet with people every day to connect them with shelter, housing and resources. Since April, there have been more than 8,800 engagements with HOPE specialists. Of those, about 1,900 individuals are working with the city toward housing and about 550 have been helped into housing.

The city has been divided into five geographic zones for coverage north to south, east to west. This ensures that outreach and engagement is occurring daily across Tempe. Specialists are also assigned to the city’s shelter locations and engage with people at Tempe Municipal Court’s mental health court. In addition, Tempe collaborates with ASU to provide outreach in and around the campus. For the past two years, ASU has funded two of the 11 outreach positions.

Enhanced case management
The city’s two non-congregate emergency shelters serve individuals experiencing homelessness with daily occupancy rates typically exceeding 95%. The city recently funded two case managers to enhance and expedite individual connections to resources, services and permanent housing solutions. These case managers bolster the work of HOPE outreach staff and nonprofit partners providing services onsite.

Co-location with CARE 7
Tempe, as part of its strategy to continually innovate and maximize resources, is co-locating the HOPE homeless outreach team and CARE 7 crisis response team. These teams regularly work together but joining forces in a shared space will enhance collaboration and communication and provide opportunities to share resources, better coordinate care and problem-solve on the spot.

The co-location also creates opportunities to innovate by bringing together team members from related but specialized disciplines and various personal and professional backgrounds. 

Enhanced data analysis
Tempe is a data-driven city and elevating data collection and analysis is a key element to the city’s enhanced homeless response. A newly hired data analyst will assist with analyzing data about areas such as homeless outreach, crisis calls for service and encampment reporting to identify trends and guide decision making about resources and investments. In August, Tempe created a new public dashboard that provides data related to our homeless outreach and encampment efforts and allows the community to track our progress. Find it at homeless-solutions.tempe.gov.

Volunteer opportunities, intern program
Two new programs are designed to engage the community and also broaden awareness and education about homelessness.

HOPE is offering intern positions this spring through a pilot program with ASU and Maricopa Community Colleges. Interns will shadow the team during outreach, assist our specialists with outreach in the field and broaden their education about homelessness and solutions.   

The HOPE team is also looking for passionate volunteers to support the city’s Point-in-Time homeless street count held twice a year and assist with street outreach. The latter begins with shadowing, so no formal experience is needed. Volunteers must be 18 years and older, fingerprinted and take part in an interview process. 

Apply to be a HOPE volunteer