NE Valley Times

On Wednesday, Aug. 21, the City Council will consider a contract to extend Scottsdale's bridge housing program, which provides temporary lodging for residents who are seniors or families with minor children meeting specific criteria.

Item 6 on the Aug. 21 Scottsdale City Council agenda requests approval of a $190,000 contract with a local hotel for five rooms to be used through May 2025.

The funding comes from an Arizona Department of Housing grant previously accepted by the City Council in June 2023. This extension would utilize savings from that grant without using city funds.

The location of the hotel remains unchanged from previous contracts, though this extension would fund five rooms instead of the ten currently funded.

Scottsdale's program aims to prevent homelessness

The program offers temporary lodging (30 to 120 days) for seniors over age 62 and families with minor children displaced from their Scottsdale homes. Participants must provide proof of legal U.S. residency and a residential address in Scottsdale within the previous six months.

The program does not accept U.S. immigration referrals through Title 42 or other sources.

Individuals considered chronically homeless or repeatedly experiencing homelessness with disabling conditions such as serious mental illness, substance use disorder, or physical disability are not eligible for assistance through this program.

Each potential participant is evaluated to ensure their needs and circumstances match the program criteria. Once enrolled, participants work with a caseworker to become self-sufficient and secure stable housing. They receive assistance navigating programs and services, searching for employment, applying for housing vouchers, and finding affordable rental units or other housing options.

Program success

Since its inception in October 2022 through July 2024, Scottsdale Human Services assisted 168 individuals through this program, achieving an 86% success rate: people who received housing and services then exited into secure living situations.

Staff have received numerous notes of thanks from those assisted by the bridge housing program. Last year, a disabled woman and her husband (ages 71 and 80) faced homelessness due to a steep rent increase making their apartment unaffordable. They requested assistance through the bridge housing program which provided shelter and access to services that helped them find affordable new accommodation.

“We are grateful to the city for keeping my husband and myself safe for the several weeks we needed shelter,” they wrote.

Understanding the issue

Scottsdale's Human Services staff routinely assist residents displaced due to rising rents and decreasing affordable rentals and mortgages.

The bridge housing program serves as a "life raft" for those at risk of falling into homelessness but is designed only for specific circumstances affecting a small number of people.

On a larger scale, Scottsdale’s Housing Choice Voucher Program subsidizes rent for eligible families but faces higher demand than available units can meet. The current waitlist includes 52 seniors and 284 disabled families awaiting entry into the voucher program. Additionally, nearly 200 people are on waitlists across three senior affordable housing properties operated by Scottsdale.

In the past year alone, Scottsdale assisted sixty seniors with rent prevention measures while providing tenant-based rental assistance vouchers to seven more seniors; five additional applications are pending approval. Fourteen veterans referred by VA were also given supportive housing vouchers while approximately three hundred thirty unhoused individuals remain on waitlists seeking affordable housing solutions in Scottsdale.

Addressing community concerns

According to data from Maricopa Association of Governments' Point-in-Time Count conducted in early-2024 there were eighty-nine unsheltered individuals living within Scottsdale among over four thousand countywide unsheltered persons.

To mitigate panhandling activities often posing risks both pedestrians & motorists alike -city has implemented 'no-panhandling' signage encouraging donations towards social service agencies rather than directly handing money onto streets since its launch back-2018 similar initiatives have been adopted across various Valley cities

City council plans reviewing amendments public camping ordinance Ord.#4644 following recent US Supreme Court ruling upholding enforcement overnight camping restrictions parks/streets/public places Proposed amendment removes requirement availability shelter space prior enforcement Under revised ordinance violators will be granted reasonable opportunity relocate before citation/arrest issuance

Implementing General Plan objectives

These efforts along wider array human service programs exemplify implementation voter-approved General Plan Community Well-being chapter goals aiming provision diverse range socioeconomic appropriate housings options residing working locally Specific policy directives advise leveraging state/federal funding creating preserving high-quality safe energy-efficient affordably priced housings H2:5 seeking quality short-term accommodations immediate temporary shelters H2:10 Further details about General Plan available here