Tucson Implemented New Housing Survey for Homeless

The city adopted a questionnaire designed to prioritize individuals at the highest risk of heat-related death.

Updated on Oct. 8, 2026 in Substance Abuse

Isometric editorial illustration of a tiered desert-style building structure in a Sonoran landscape, casting sharp midday shadows. — Tucson has adopted a new housing survey tool for the unhoused, aimed at prioritizing resources for those at highest risk from summer heat. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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In summer 2026, the Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness transitioned to a new assessment tool for allocating housing resources. The survey focuses on identifying those most vulnerable to extreme heat exposure and replaces the previous VI-SPDAT framework.

Why it matters

The tool was developed to better identify high-risk individuals while addressing criticisms that previous methods exacerbated racial inequalities in housing access. Officials hope the new criteria will reduce fatalities among the unhoused population during intense summer temperatures.

A pilot study for the new questionnaire surveyed 270 individuals between November 2023 and May 2024. This change comes after Tucson recorded 112 days of 100-degree-plus heat in 2024, highlighting the extreme risk factors for the local unhoused population.

The players

Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness

This organization acts as the primary agency responsible for coordinating homelessness services and housing resource allocation in the Tucson area.

The details

Assessors use the survey to place vulnerable residents on a database known as the By Name List, which facilitates housing placement. Individuals prioritized for services lose their designated spot if they cannot be reached through three separate outreach attempts.

Pilot testing of the new questionnaire occurred from November 2023 through May 2024.
Pima County recorded 112 days of 100-plus degree heat in 2024.
A total of 201 homeless individuals died in Pima County in 2025.
Tucson reached 100 degrees for the first time in March 2026.
The new survey was implemented throughout the hot season during summer 2026.

Health Landscape

The implementation of the new questionnaire marks a formal departure from the VI-SPDAT framework previously used to evaluate housing priority. This shift highlights a broader evolution in public health strategies toward addressing the specific environmental dangers faced by vulnerable urban populations.

For individuals experiencing homelessness in the area, this new questionnaire alters the criteria used to determine who receives immediate housing priority. Residents must ensure they are reachable through outreach teams to maintain their placement on the active housing database.

The takeaway

This policy change reflects a growing focus on environmental factors in social service delivery. By prioritizing those at extreme risk, the program aims to better allocate limited resources to save lives during the summer heat.