Finding help in Phoenix

Maricopa County has one of the largest and most complex homelessness service systems in the American Southwest. On any given year, roughly 10,000 people experience homelessness across the county. The anchor of that system is the Human Services Campus (HSC) — a 13-acre site in downtown Phoenix that functions as the largest single-site service campus in Arizona, bringing together shelter, meals, health care, case management, and housing navigation under one roof. If you need help and you're in Phoenix, the HSC and the network around it are where to start.

The fastest way to get help

Call or text 211. This is Arizona's free social services helpline, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Trained navigators can tell you what's open tonight, what's near you, and what you're eligible for. You can call from any phone — cell or landline — and the service is available in Spanish. You can also text your zip code to 898-211 to get local resource listings.

If you're already downtown or on the west side, you can walk in to the Human Services Campus at 1132 S. 12th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85034. The campus is open daily and serves as the main access point for emergency shelter, coordinated entry into the housing system, and connection to services. Multiple organizations operate on-site, so one visit can connect you to many different kinds of help.

You do not need an ID to walk in and ask for help. You do not need to be sober. You do not need an appointment. Showing up is enough.

Emergency shelter in Phoenix

Phoenix has several emergency shelter options serving different populations. Here are the main ones:

CASS — Central Arizona Shelter Services

CASS is the largest emergency shelter provider in Arizona. They operate shelters for single adults and families on the Human Services Campus, with capacity for hundreds of people per night. CASS also offers on-site health services, case management, and a transitional program that moves people toward permanent housing. Coordinated entry through CASS is one of the main pathways into the broader Maricopa County housing system.

Address: 230 S. 12th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: (602) 256-6945
Who they serve: Single adults and families; low-barrier intake

Andre House

Andre House operates on the Human Services Campus and focuses specifically on people experiencing street-level homelessness. Beyond their nightly meal service, they provide hygiene supplies, clothing, and connections to other resources. They meet people where they are, without conditions.

Address: 1 W. Hadley St., Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: (602) 252-9901
Who they serve: Adults experiencing homelessness; particularly those living outside

St. Joseph the Worker

St. Joseph the Worker specializes in employment and economic stability services for people experiencing homelessness, including job placement, resume support, and work-readiness training. They work with both individuals who are currently unhoused and those who are recently housed and at risk of returning to homelessness. If you're looking to get back to work, this is one of the best places to start in Phoenix.

Address: 1learned Ave. (call ahead for current location)
Phone: (602) 417-9457
Who they serve: Adults seeking employment; people experiencing or at risk of homelessness

Lodestar Day Resource Center

Lodestar is a daytime hub on the Human Services Campus for people experiencing homelessness. During the day, it functions as a central gathering and services point — offering showers, laundry, meals, a mailing address, phone charging, and connections to case management. If you need a safe, stable place to spend the day and access services, Lodestar is the place.

Address: 1125 W. Jackson St., Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: (602) 271-0311
Who they serve: Adults; open to walk-ins during daytime hours

Food resources in Phoenix

Multiple programs serve free meals and distribute groceries across the Phoenix metro. You do not need to be enrolled in any program to eat.

St. Mary's Food Bank

St. Mary's is the largest food bank in Arizona and one of the oldest in the country. They operate multiple distribution sites across Maricopa County where you can pick up groceries to take with you. No paperwork required at most sites.

Main location: 2831 N. 31st Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85009
Phone: (602) 242-3663
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9 AM–3 PM (hours vary by site)

Andre House daily meals

Andre House serves a hot dinner every evening, no questions asked and no ID required. This is one of the most reliable daily meal programs in Phoenix for people living outside.

Address: 1 W. Hadley St. (on the Human Services Campus)
Hours: Dinner served nightly, 5:00–6:30 PM

Human Services Campus food programs

Several organizations on the Human Services Campus offer meals and food assistance as part of their broader service model. If you're already at the campus, ask any staff member about current meal service times — they vary by day and season. St. Vincent de Paul also operates a large dining room nearby at 420 W. Watkins St., serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily.

Health care for people experiencing homelessness

You do not need insurance, an ID, or a permanent address to get medical care in Phoenix. Several programs are built specifically for people in unstable housing situations.

Central Arizona Shelter Services health clinic

CASS operates on-site health services at their shelter campus. If you're staying at CASS or on the Human Services Campus, ask staff to connect you with the health team. They handle primary care, medication management, chronic disease support, and referrals to specialists.

Circle the City

Circle the City is Arizona's largest provider of health care specifically for people experiencing homelessness. Their main clinic in downtown Phoenix offers primary care, chronic disease management, wound care, pharmacy services, and a medical respite program for people who are too sick to recover safely outside. Walk-ins are accepted and no insurance is required.

Address: 1001 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: (602) 441-5000
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 AM–5 PM

AHCCCS — Arizona Medicaid

Many people experiencing homelessness qualify for AHCCCS (Arizona's Medicaid program), which provides free health coverage including primary care, mental health, and substance use treatment. You can apply without a permanent address. Apply online at healthearizonaplus.gov or call (855) HEA-PLUS. Getting covered opens access to a much wider range of services.

Veterans: Phoenix VA Healthcare System

If you are a veteran, the Phoenix VA Healthcare System provides comprehensive health care as well as housing programs through HUD-VASH (Housing and Urban Development–VA Supportive Housing). Call the VA at (602) 277-5551 or walk in to 650 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85012.

ID and document recovery

Missing ID is one of the most common barriers to housing, employment, and benefits. Without a state ID, many programs — including AHCCCS enrollment, shelter intake, and housing applications — become much harder to navigate. Phoenix has a dedicated resource for this.

Homeless ID Project

The Homeless ID Project helps people experiencing homelessness obtain a free Arizona state ID and recover essential documents including birth certificates and Social Security cards. They guide you through the full process in one visit and cover the fees. This is the most direct path to getting your documents back if you've lost them.

Address: 204 S. 12th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: (602) 223-3427
Walk-in or call for current hours

For more on what you need and how the process works, see our guide: How to recover your ID in Phoenix.

Mental health and recovery services

Mental health and substance use treatment are available without insurance or a permanent address. These three organizations are major providers across the Phoenix metro:

Southwest Behavioral Health

Southwest Behavioral Health Services provides outpatient mental health and substance use treatment across Maricopa County, including services for people who are unhoused or in transitional situations. They accept AHCCCS and offer sliding-scale fees for uninsured patients. Call (602) 995-1000 for intake information and to find the closest location to you.

Community Bridges

Community Bridges provides integrated behavioral health services, including crisis stabilization, residential treatment, detox, and outpatient substance use programs. They operate multiple sites across the Phoenix metro and accept walk-ins at some locations. Phone: (480) 784-2090. They are a major provider of low-barrier substance use treatment in Arizona.

TERROS Health

TERROS Health is one of Arizona's largest providers of behavioral health services, offering outpatient mental health care, residential treatment, detox, and medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. They accept AHCCCS and offer services regardless of insurance or housing status. Phone: (602) 685-6000. TERROS has multiple locations throughout Phoenix and the surrounding metro area.

If you are in crisis right now, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or call the Crisis Response Network at (602) 222-9444 for a mobile crisis team — this is not a police response.

For case managers and providers

If you are a social worker, case manager, outreach worker, or service provider working in Maricopa County, the resources above are a starting point — but the full picture is much larger. The Maricopa CoC Navigator on Common Ladder includes a searchable, filterable directory of service providers across the county, organized by population, service type, and geography.

• Open the Maricopa CoC Navigator
• Provider tools and referral resources
• Case Manager's Field Guide to Maricopa County

Know of a Phoenix resource we missed or have an update? Contact us — we keep this directory current.