5 Ways to Help with Homelessness in Phoenix Right Now

By Common Ladder · Updated May 20, 2026 · 6 min read

Homelessness in Phoenix is a solvable problem. The organizations and programs doing the most effective work need community support — not just donations, but time, attention, and advocacy. Here are five ways to make a real difference.

1. Volunteer with a local organization that does direct service

Volunteering is the fastest way to understand homelessness in Phoenix and contribute meaningfully. Several organizations actively need volunteers for ongoing roles:

• St. Vincent de Paul — meal service, food distribution, thrift stores. Consistent volunteer opportunities, easy to get started.
• Andre House — dinner service for men experiencing homelessness on the Human Services Campus. A direct, relational form of service.
• UMOM — programming support for families and children in shelter. Particularly meaningful if you have skills in education, childcare, or activities.
• Lodestar Day Resource Center — various volunteer roles during day service hours.

Most organizations require a brief orientation. Plan to commit to a regular schedule — consistency matters more than one-time big pushes.

2. Donate strategically — cash is almost always better than goods

The most effective donation is cash directly to organizations doing effective work. It lets them purchase exactly what they need when they need it, and avoids the sorting and storage burden that comes with donated goods drives.

If you want to donate goods, call first and ask what's needed. Items typically in demand year-round: hygiene products (deodorant, toothbrushes, feminine hygiene products), new socks and underwear, water bottles.

Organizations doing particularly effective, evidence-based work in Phoenix include:

• CASS (emergency shelter and case management)
• UMOM (families and youth)
• HomeBase Youth Services / Native American Connections (youth homelessness)
• Phoenix Rescue Mission (recovery-focused services)

3. Learn how housing policy actually works — then show up

Most of the decisions that determine whether homelessness increases or decreases in Phoenix are made in City Council chambers, at the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, and at the state legislature. Zoning decisions, shelter siting, affordable housing funding, and harm reduction policy all play direct roles in outcomes.

A few places to start:

• Attend a Maricopa Regional CoC meeting — these are public meetings where the coordinating body for homeless services makes decisions about funding and priorities
• Follow the City of Phoenix Housing Department — they post public meetings and comment opportunities on major housing decisions
• Contact your council member when affordable housing projects come up for vote in your district — supportive comments from constituents matter

The most effective advocates are people who understand the system well enough to speak specifically about what works. That takes time to learn, but the learning itself is valuable.

4. Support a mutual aid network in your neighborhood

Mutual aid — neighbors helping neighbors directly — is one of the most effective forms of community support for people on the edge of housing instability. Many people who are "precariously housed" (one crisis away from homelessness) are stabilized by community support before they ever need formal services.

Practical ways to participate:

• Join or start a neighborhood mutual aid group (many coordinate through Facebook groups or Nextdoor)
• Offer specific resources: a meal, help with a utility bill, a ride to a medical appointment
• Know your neighbors — social isolation increases vulnerability; connection is protective

5. Change how you talk about homelessness

Language shapes how communities think about problems — and homelessness is no exception. A few shifts that make a meaningful difference:

• Say "people experiencing homelessness" instead of "the homeless" — it's a situation, not an identity
• Avoid framing that separates "deserving" from "undeserving" individuals — chronic homelessness is almost always linked to structural failures (lack of affordable housing, inadequate mental health services, failed safety nets), not individual moral failure
• When you see inaccurate or dehumanizing coverage of homelessness in local media, respond — a letter to the editor or a comment matters
• Talk about solutions: what's working, not just what's broken

Homelessness is solvable. Cities that have made the most progress — Houston, Helsinki, others — did it by taking a systems approach: more housing, faster access to services, and less emphasis on compliance as a condition of help.

Common Ladder exists to make it easier for every member of a community to understand and act on homelessness in their city. If you're in Phoenix, use our tools to understand the local landscape — then pick one of the five actions above and start.