Tempe Holds Emergency Resource Fair for Homeless Families
Service providers and volunteers organized the Monday event at University Presbyterian Church to connect families with housing, schooling, and job help.
Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Job Fairs
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Tempe is set to host an emergency resource fair for people experiencing homelessness on Monday, after AZHugs families were forced to leave a hotel when the nonprofit struggled to pay for their rooms. Tempe city officials said many of the families came to Tempe and Mesa from surrounding communities.
Why it matters
Councilmember Bobby Nichols cited federal cuts to affordable housing and SNAP along with rising housing and grocery costs as crushing communities. The fair connects families with long-term services intended to help them end their homelessness.
Tempe Community Action Agency, one of the on-site providers, was founded 60 years ago, and the fair opens at 9 a.m. Monday. No attendance counts, funding amounts, or prior-year comparisons were reported for the event.
The players
AZHugs
AZHugs is a nonprofit whose inability to pay for hotel rooms left families without shelter, prompting the emergency response in Tempe.
Tempe Community Action Agency
Tempe Community Action Agency is a local anti-poverty organization founded 60 years ago that provides services to residents, including at this fair.
Bobby Nichols
Bobby Nichols is a Tempe city councilmember who cited federal cuts to affordable housing and SNAP as factors crushing local communities.
The details
The emergency fair at University Presbyterian Church, near Alameda Drive and College Avenue, offers free school lunches, school enrollment for children, AHCCCS enrollment, career counseling, and job placement. Attendees are connected with case managers who can help them secure housing, and service providers and volunteers organized the event alongside city employees.
Timeline
Last week: families were forced to leave a hotel after AZHugs struggled to pay for their rooms.
Monday, 9 a.m.: the emergency resource fair opens at University Presbyterian Church in Tempe.
Local Response
The fair responds locally to the federal cuts to affordable housing and SNAP that Councilmember Bobby Nichols blamed for squeezing Tempe households. It places emergency housing case management alongside job placement and benefits enrollment in a single event.
Residents who are facing housing instability can attend the Monday fair to speak with case managers, enroll children in school, and apply for AHCCCS. Job seekers can also get career counseling and placement help at the same event.
The takeaway
Services for families facing homelessness are often easiest to reach through a single coordinated event that brings housing, school, health coverage, and jobs together. Anyone in Tempe needing these services can check whether a similar fair is scheduled nearby before a housing crisis forces a move.
Further reading
For more on local hiring events, browse Job Fairs coverage across the Tempe area.
Source note: This article includes information reported by AZfamily.
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