Volunteers are needed to work alongside our HOPE team. The process begins with shadowing, so no formal experience is needed.

All volunteers must be 18 years and older, fingerprinted and complete an application. There will be an interview conducted with those interested, along with an orientation and training.

Questions and applications should be submitted to volunteerHOPE@tempe.gov. 

When you need help

Everyone has the right to clean and safe business, community and public spaces. Certain behaviors violate the law or city code and require action. Others do not merit police intervention but may impact your enjoyment of a public space.

As needed, these are the different ways that residents, businesses and others can get help and also help someone in need:

Call 9-1-1 only for true emergencies

Calls to 911 are continuously prioritized among all other calls in the city to place
the highest emergencies first. Officers will respond as soon as they are able. Even if you are observing active drug or alcohol consumption, for example, that may not be the most pressing call in the city at that moment.

Tempe police non-emergency phone line

Tempe Police have a non-emergency phone line for concerns that are not true
emergencies: 480-350-8311. This line is staffed 24-7. Calls are prioritized from most to least urgent. Park security personnel may be notified for response rather than police officers.

Tempe 311 /CARE and HOPE line

Tempe 311 is the city’s “One Call to City Hall” service that addresses most anything residents could need. The service is staffed Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 480-350-4311, visit tempe.gov/tempe311 or use the Tempe 311 mobile app. Messages can be left 24/7. 

The community can call the 24/7 CARE & HOPE Line, 480-350-8004, to let the city know about a person in crisis or experiencing homelessness. For general concerns, email our HOPE homeless outreach team at  HOPE@tempe.gov. 

List of common concerns

The City of Tempe provides a listing of common concerns about behaviors in public spaces and at businesses and what to do when encountering a specific behavior.

Find the listing about parks and public spaces here. (PDF)

Find the listing about businesses here. (PDF)

Tempe’s urban camping ordinance, which was originally passed in 1997 and updated in 2018, prohibits the unpermitted use of public property “as a temporary or permanent place of dwelling…or as a living accommodation at any time.” The ordinance lists indications of camping to include, “burning a fire, carrying on cooking activities, storing personal belongings, laying down bedding for sleeping, using tents or temporary shelters for shelter…” 

Tempe’s prohibition on urban camping applies to all persons, whether homeless or not. The city enforces the prohibition in accordance with all applicable laws.

Residents should call 9-1-1 for emergencies in parks or 480-350-4311 for non-emergency issues in parks.

Nonprofit funding

Tempe relies on valued partnerships with local nonprofit organizations to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The city provides funding for nonprofits through Tempe Community Council's Agency Review process and through competitive grants.

Tempe Community Council

Each year, the City of Tempe distributes approximately $1.2 million in human services funding to nonprofit organizations serving those in Tempe. This funding supports people experiencing homelessness, the working poor, survivors of sexual and domestic violence, individuals with disabilities, youth and seniors.

Our partner Tempe Community Council administers and manages the distribution of these funds through an agency review process.  Learn more about the process here.

Competitive grants

Tempe regularly awards grants to nonprofits to provide a broad range of services, such as emergency shelter or hunger relief. Learn about FY 2021-22 grants that expand emergency shelter for those in need in Tempe here.

I-HELP shelter

Tempe is a longtime supporter of the Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program (I-HELP), a shelter program for adults operated by Tempe Community Action Agency. The city provides financial support for shelter operations and our outreach specialists work collaboratively with staff to place individuals in shelter and assist them with social services and permanent housing solutions.

Tempe Works is an innovative jobs program that combines part-time city employment, housing and social services to assist individuals in ending their homelessness.

The idea was brought to the City Council in 2017 by Councilmember Randy Keating; he and Councilmember Joel Navarro and Vice Mayor Robin Arredondo-Savage led a City Manager’s Working Group to develop the idea. Approved by the City Council in 2017, the program relies on a partnership among multiple city departments, Tempe Community Action Agency's I-HELP shelter and Corporate Job Bank. Learn more here.

Help share resources

The City of Tempe distributes "shoe cards" to those who are unsheltered with information about shelter, medical care, food resources and more. Help us share details with those in need.

English (PDF) Spanish (PDF) 

Call the CARE & HOPE Line

Call 480-350-8004 to tell the city about a person in crisis or experiencing homelessness.

Support healthy giving 

Tempe residents are very generous, and there are many healthy ways to give that provide lasting help for people who are unsheltered.

• Healthy giving supports a person’s long-term needs like a entering a substance abuse treatment program or accepting shelter in order to plan for permanent housing.
• Tempe has many nonprofits and faith groups providing services that need our support to help people end their homelessness.
• Find an area you feel strongly about – shelter, job assistance, food help, mental health care - and join forces with established organizations by voluntering and donating.
• Healthy giving can change a life.

Learn more here.

Sign up to receive human services and homelessness news

• Rare - homelessness does not happen often
• Brief - people who become homeless are connected to housing as soon as possible
• One-time - people who are housed do not return to homelessness

The City of Tempe is committed to an interdepartmental approach to assisting those who are homeless while addressing community needs and concerns.

Our Homeless Solutions Task Force includes Human Services, Community Services, Tempe Police, Tempe Fire Medical Rescue, the City Attorney's office, Tempe Municipal Court, and Communication and Media Relations.

This collaborative approach assists the city in identifying needs, understanding trends and creating solutions.

The task force addresses topics such as:

• Encampments in desert parks and preserves
• Annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count
• Emergency shelter
• Healthy Giving
• Heat relief
• Park safety and community wellness

Homelessness is a national and regional issue. Available data show consistent annual increases in the number of unsheltered individuals living in streets, cars and parks.

Regionally, there has been an 83% increase in unsheltered homelessness from 2017 to 2020, according to the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count. During that same time frame, Tempe has experienced a 96% increase in unsheltered individuals.

During the January 2020 count, there were 3,767 unsheltered individuals counted in Maricopa County, including 396 unsheltered individuals in Tempe.

The City of Tempe participates in the Point-in-Time count each January and relies on volunteers to help with the one-day count. Contact Jessica_Wright@tempe.gov for details about volunteering.