TEMPE, AZ — The Salt River bed in Tempe now sits empty, a contrast to just a few years ago when there were a number of homeless encampments in the area.
The transformation comes after the city launched an initiative to address, what leaders say, was a hazardous area for people experiencing homelessness.
It was a common area for unsheltered people, including Tommy Singley. However, Singley recently told the city he found a home.
"It's nice being able to live in 68-degree weather year-round. The roof keeps the rain off my head, the light makes it easy to read," Singley said in a video with the city.
In 2022, the city announced it would begin enforcing trespassing rules near the Salt River bed, saying they saw numerous emergency calls in an unsafe area. The number of emergency service calls to the area peaked at 77 in 2022 but dropped to just eight afterward.
Since the summer of 2022, homelessness in Tempe has dropped from 515 unsheltered people to 277, representing a 46% decrease, according to Jacqueline Webster from the City of Tempe.
Webster said the city has significantly increased its investment in addressing homelessness over the years.
"Tempe has made $140 million investment in the last several years,” she added.
The funding supported an expansion of outreach efforts, including teams that meet people where they are to connect them with services.
"The resources put into the HOPE outreach team, our bridge shelter that is temporary shelter that we have to assist individuals until they can move into longer-term housing, making sure they have wraparound supports as well," Webster said.
Singley says the city, specifically the HOPE Team, made a difference for him.
"There's just too many people like me before that just didn't want to say yes. One word changed my entire life, and this is proof," Singley said in a video.
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