TUCSON, AZ — Pima County saw a slight decline in homelessness this year, but the community’s ability to shelter people has tightened, with nearly 200 shelter beds lost since last year.
Nearly 400 volunteers helped conduct this year’s Point-in-Time Count, the federally required annual estimate of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness. The count helps communities better understand the scale of homelessness and determine how much shelter and housing capacity is needed.
The Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness (TPCH) said the results should be viewed as a snapshot rather than a complete census. Because the count is an estimate, some year-to-year changes are expected.
Pima County lost nearly 200 shelter beds between 2025 and 2026, according to TPCH. Much of that loss came after the Arizona Department of Housing reduced funding that supported 117 emergency shelter beds through hotel vouchers. Some additional beds are temporarily unavailable because of renovations and are expected to return later this year.
The latest Housing Inventory Count identified 881 shelter beds countywide, while the Point-in-Time Count found 861 people already staying in shelters on the night of the count.
TPCH said the numbers show the shelter system is operating at extremely high capacity, with little room to handle an increase in need.
Still, the report showed some positive trends.
Overall homelessness numbers in Pima County have remained relatively stable since 2022, even as many communities nationwide have seen larger increases. Homelessness among young adults ages 18 to 24 continued to decline, and the report also showed decreases among people reporting serious mental illness, substance use disorders, HIV/AIDS and adult survivors of domestic violence.
The report also highlighted ongoing racial disparities, with minority populations disproportionately affected by homelessness in Pima County. TPCH said it is conducting a deeper analysis of those disparities, with findings expected later in 2026.
TPCH also highlighted a new rental assistance program launched March 19 through the City of Tucson’s Housing Trust Fund.
The program was created after the Commission on Equitable Housing and Development identified rental assistance as a priority use for Housing Trust Fund dollars. Tucson Mayor and Council later approved the funding.
A total of $175,000 was made available on a first-come, first-served basis. In March alone, 97 individuals and families received rental assistance designed to help prevent evictions and keep residents housed.
TPCH has also launched a new online resource designed to help residents find shelter and community resources more quickly.
The Tucson-Pima Shelter & Community Resource Dashboard provides real-time information on shelter bed availability and other community resources. Users can search for open shelter beds, check eligibility requirements and find information about cooling centers, transit routes and transition centers.
Residents can also call 311 for help through the City of Tucson Resource Line.
The city is also continuing outreach efforts to connect residents with available resources.
In June, Tucson’s Housing and Community Development Department partnered with Tucson Homeless Connect, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and other organizations for the second “Hope in the Park” resource fair of the year.
The event brought together 84 community partners and dozens of volunteers, connecting more than 250 unsheltered individuals, low-income residents and families with children to services.
Resources available at the event included health screenings, legal assistance, behavioral health services, shelter and housing support, clothing, animal care, Veterans Affairs benefits and food assistance.
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