TEMPE, AZ — Dozens of unhoused families are temporarily staying at a motel in Tempe. Those families and the organization paying for their stays say it’s because there is such a long waitlist for emergency shelter that they cannot get in.
“We have some food up here that was donated to us,” Marshae, a mother who showed ABC15 her motel room, said.
For seven months, Marshae has been fighting to find a permanent home for her children, between the ages of 12 and 20.
They are now one of 56 unhoused families staying at the Tempe motel Friday night, according to the nonprofit AZ Hugs.
“There's three of us that sleep on this bed, and then two of us sleep here with the pets,” Marshae said. “It’s hard.”
Their rooms are paid for through donations to AZ Hugs. Every day, Marshae checks to see if there are funds to stay another night.
“It would mean everything to us just to have the necessities, the essentials that we need to survive,” she said.
Over the past few nights, more families like Marshae’s have been dropped off by rideshares at the motel. They say they are there because they can’t get into a shelter.
“We were on the Family Housing Hub's wait list for approximately one year, off and on,” another mother named Yoleaisa said. “Because my son turned 17 years old, they told me that I no longer qualified for family shelter.”
AZ Hugs Founder Austin Davis says about 200 families are waiting for emergency shelter.
“So families are having to wait months just to get into shelter,” Davis said. “That just doesn’t make sense, first of all, because families need shelter tonight. But also it’s just unacceptable.”
Many of these families say they called 211 to reach the centralized hub for finding shelter, but have not been able to secure a spot.
“In the meantime, we need a place to go, to stay, so we can have a place to rest, and take a shower, and get dressed,” Vanessa, an unhoused mother, said.
“Just knowing that I don’t know where I’m going to lay my head tomorrow, moving around trying to keep the kids safe, it's hard,” Kimberly, another mom, said.
Family Housing Hub acknowledged ABC15’s request for information, but did not respond by airtime. 211 operators could not provide information on a wait list either.
Program websites for UMOM New Day Centers, tied to the hub, say they serve more than 15,000 people each year, and 800 people are sheltered on any given night.
But Davis says an emergency shelter shortage is a crisis, and he is petitioning the Governor to declare a state of emergency.
“We need an immediately available shelter option for families with minor children. That should be a given,” Davis said.
The Governor’s Office tells ABC15 emergency declarations are generally reserved for natural disasters, but says since taking office in 20203, Hobbs has directed $245 million toward eviction prevention, housing, and shelter.
Read the full statement from the Governor’s Office here:
“Governor Hobbs understands the toll housing insecurity takes on Arizonans, and she’s working everyday with state agencies, local governments, and community partners to expand access to help. Since taking office in 2023, she has directed at least $245 million statewide on efforts such as eviction prevention, affordable housing, emergency shelter and rapidly rehousing people experiencing housing insecurity.
“The Governor believes no family, especially families with infants or young children, should be left without a safe place to go. Emergency declarations are generally requested by local governments and reserved for natural disasters.”
“It’s honestly stressful,” Daniel, a teenager staying with his mom Vanessa at the Tempe motel, said.
For these families, the long-term solution is more affordable housing.
“Without more jobs becoming available for us and more affordable housing, that's only getting into shelter; I see it only as a temporary band-aid,” Yoleaisa said.
In Arizona, there are just 26 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income renter households, according to National Low Income Housing Coalition.
HUD data shows more emergency shelter and permanent supportive housing units for families have become available from 2025 to 2026.
Still, more than 9,700 people are experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County.
“It’s very emotional,” Savannah, mom to a baby daughter, said. “It's hard having a child, being homeless, and not having the resources that we need.”
The toll, heavy.
Marshae says having a stable roof would make all the difference.
“That would mean a lot,” Marshae said, crying. “That would mean everything to us, because it's been a journey, literally a journey. For the past seven months, I've tried nonstop for my children. Nonstop. And people don’t understand if they’ve never been through it.
The City of Tempe is responding to the situation, directing those impacted to programs and services at on the city’s Homeless Solutions website.
In a statement, the City says in part:
“The City of Tempe works every day to make homelessness rare, brief and one time. We partner with community groups, nonprofits, schools and others to help people end their homelessness and prevent homelessness by investing in affordable housing and city programs as well as funding community resources. We operate a bridge shelter, Sue's Espacio, to serve individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Tempe. Shelter residents regularly move out and onto new housing resolutions, which frees up availability for the next resident. This transition occurs on a daily basis.”
Tempe officials encourage anyone experiencing homelessness to reach out for our help by calling the City of Tempe’s CARE & HOPE Line at 480-350-8004.
They say Sue's Espacio shelter served 650 people last year: families, children, veterans and seniors. It is currently providing a safe haven for eight families, including three who entered shelter in the past 48 hours.
Other Valley organizations say they recognize the crucial need for shelter.
A New Leaf gets referrals from the 211 centralized Family Housing Hub, and the nonprofit currently has transitional housing open. Lisa Bell, Chief Development Officer, tells ABC15 that they have seen an uptick in need since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in July of 2025. Bell says with scaled-back marketplace subsidies and health care cuts, she’s seeing more families using money designated for rent to instead pay for food or medication.
The CASS Vista Colina Family Shelter says it has 30 apartment-style units available for families, and they are full all the time.
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