Tempe Families Seek State Funds for Motel Shelter
Families staying at a Tempe motel marched to City Hall seeking $200,000 in state emergency funding to cover 30 days of shelter.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Emergency Response
Families staying at a Tempe motel marched to Tempe City Hall on Thursday, asking city leaders to seek $200,000 in state emergency funding for 30 days of rooms, food, and basic essentials. AZ Hugs reports it is paying for motel rooms for 85 families, up from 56.
Why it matters
Families lost housing when work slowed and apartments were lost, and the AZ Hugs founder said groups already funded have not provided immediately available shelter. The request highlights a gap between existing homelessness grants and emergency shelter needs in Tempe.
AZ Hugs reports paying for motel rooms for 85 families, up from 56, at $60 a night per room. Families requested $200,000 in state emergency funding for 30 days, while the city offers $1.1 million to nonprofit partners through its legal and procurement process, and whether the state will approve the request remains unresolved.
The players
AZ Hugs
A nonprofit organization that is paying for motel rooms for 85 families in Tempe and recently applied for funding through the Continuum of Care.
Governor Katie Hobbs
The Arizona governor who announced $16 million in homelessness grant funding in October, and whose office said emergency declarations are generally reserved for natural disasters.
The details
Four of the city's HOPE outreach specialists helped connect more families to services after the City Council meeting, and city staff visited the motel to provide services, including shelter intake and veterinary care for one family's dog. Tempe's Interim Community Health and Human Services Director said the city cannot directly fund an organization without an open bid process.
Timeline
October 2026: Governor Hobbs and the Arizona Department of Housing announced $16 million in homelessness grant funding.
Thursday, November 5, 2026: Families marched to Tempe City Hall seeking emergency shelter funding.
Seasonal Patterns
AZ Hugs has applied through the Continuum of Care, the federal homelessness funding framework, but the families' request for $200,000 in state emergency funding sits outside that pathway and reflects the gap between longer-term grant cycles and immediate shelter needs. Governor Hobbs's office has said emergency declarations are generally reserved for natural disasters, which frames the current request as a test of that boundary.
Residents who want to support families in motel shelter can contact AZ Hugs or Tempe's HOPE outreach team to learn about connecting families to services. Anyone seeking shelter help in Tempe can reach city health and human services staff, who have been connecting families to available resources after the council meeting.
The takeaway
The request highlights a structural gap: grant programs can take time to reach families facing immediate housing loss, so emergency pathways for shelter may matter as much as long-term funding. Watching whether state officials respond to the $200,000 request will show how Arizona handles emergency shelter outside formal disaster declarations.
Further reading
For broader context on local crisis response, see Emergency Response coverage for Tempe.
Source note: This article includes information reported by abc15 Arizona.
