A group hangs out in the shade in Santa Rita Park in Tucson.
Tucson will receive over $21 million dollars in state funds for affordable housing and homeless response programs in 2024.
Over $15 million will be allotted to the city itself and three of Tucson’s largest homeless assistance organizations. Old Pueblo Community Services will receive over $7 million, while Pima Community and Workforce Development and Sister Jose Women’s Center also qualified for grants.
An additional $6.5 million are going directly to three affordable housing developments in Tucson, with plans to build over 500 new units.
One of those is the Tucson House, which is set to receive an additional $4 million to further serve elderly populations struggling with homelessness. In 2023, the city announced the 60 year old complex would undergo significant renovations.
Governor Hobbs briefly addressed the housing crisis in her 2024 State of the State address this week, saying the rising cost of housing cannot be ignored.
“For Arizonans across all age, color, and geographical boundaries, our housing affordability crisis has erased feelings of prosperity for too many,” she said.
The grants are awarded by the state’s Homeless Shelter and Services Fund established last year under the Arizona Department of Housing.
“The HSS Fund was oversubscribed with applications demonstrating the great need to provide more shelter and supportive services for Arizonans in need,” said ADOH CEO Joan Serviss. “The providers we’ve funded now have significantly more resources to meet that need.”
In total, the Governor’s latest investment in combating the housing crisis totals nearly $90 million statewide.
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