Funding Permanent Housing for the Homeless in Tempe

The effort is part of a pilot program to provide permanent housing for the area's chronically homeless. The first stage of the project has proved housing for 13 people at a cost of about $660,000.

"Tempe's funding will pay rent on an apartment unit for 18 months while people who meet the criteria for the pilot program work to get their life on track. To qualify for the program, individuals must have been homeless for at least one year and agree to background checks. Applicants must have no violent or drug felonies in the past five years, but if they have participated in rehabilitation to address such convictions, they could qualify.

Valley of the Sun United Way contracted with Urban Outreach, a homeless program of Tempe's First United Methodist Church, to provide case workers who help participants set goals for a stable life. The difference between the Tempe program and other homelessness efforts is that Valley of the Sun is establishing permanent housing for people who are chronically homeless."