Hundreds of unhoused people used to live in tents on the Salt River near Tempe Town Lake. But in August, Tempe made the riverbed a no-trespassing zone. In a city that doesn’t have a purpose-built shelter, where did the people living in the rive

UnAffordable: Another Way Home

Mar 30th, 2022 27m 3s

The issues around unaffordable housing have increased for low-income and homeless populations as home prices continue to rise, and waiting lists for shelters grow longer. However, many individuals in the homeless population face challenges that

UnAffordable: Dorothy Finds A Home

Feb 16th, 2022 17m 12s

Arizona real estate is at a premium and rental rates are skyrocketing. Those facts led homeless shelters and affordable housing to experience growing wait lists. The people on those lists are desperately trying to find a safe place to stay when

UnAffordable: Unavailable and Unattainable

Jan 19th, 2022 21m 18s

The moratorium on evictions has ended, and there's a housing shortage with no end in sight. On top of that, median home prices in Arizona have increased to the point that even some dual-income middle-class families are struggling. So, where doe

UnAffordable: The American Dream

Dec 14th, 2021 26m 23s

Does the "American Dream" still exist in Arizona? Years ago, it was possible to live an affordable life as a single or with just one hard-working breadwinner in the family. Now, most middle class families need two sources of income — and even

UnAffordable: Moving On

Nov 16th, 2021 25m 5s

A lot has changed in Arizona’s housing market since UnAffordable was published in 2019. Two years later, Arizona's issues still include housing shortages, and now, more acute unaffordability. Hear how nonprofits and coalitions dedicated to hel

UnSheltered: Sentenced

Oct 2nd, 2020 23m 23s

Sentences for misdemeanor crimes typically include fines and probation. While it's easy to say those sentences aren't harsh, for the poorest people in Arizona, the effects of these penalties often far outweigh the seriousness of their crimes. F

UnSheltered: Assembly Line Justice

Aug 3rd, 2020 21m 52s

It's not a crime to be homeless. But survival for unsheltered people sometimes means standing or sleeping in odd places, fighting to maintain space or belongings, and escaping the situation through drugs, all of which often lead to misdemeanor

UnSheltered: New Normal

Jun 15th, 2020 18m 46s

The post-pandemic world will be a lot different from the pre-pandemic world. At this moment, nobody really knows what the next week will look like - let alone the next year. That uncertainty raises several challenges and questions for the organ

UnSheltered: Improvise: Homeless During Crisis

May 8th, 2020 17m 24s

It's safe to argue that the COVID-19 pandemic is a disaster. And the way we prepare for, respond to and discuss disasters in the United States often excludes the homeless and poor - to their detriment. From emergency shelter to relief and recov

UnSheltered: Illness & Incarceration

Mar 4th, 2020 19m 37s

Once someone ends up homeless, systematic and legal barriers make it exceedingly difficult to escape. A majority of homeless people find themselves involved with law enforcement, and managing a chronic medical condition is complicated by the re

UnSheltered: Street Living

Feb 6th, 2020 18m 47s

As volunteers hit the streets to count the numbers of unsheltered homeless in Maricopa County, Unsheltered will delve into why Phoenix has such a problem, what can be done about it, and why it's so hard to fix.Let us know what you think. Pleas

UnAffordable: Where Do We Go From Here?

Aug 19th, 2019 23m 30s

There are many organizations in Arizona working to build affordable housing and support low-income people who need places to live. But all of these organizations say they can't keep up with the demands of the state's growing population and wors

UnAffordable: The Money Problem(s)

Aug 12th, 2019 24m 49s

We know we need more affordable housing in Phoenix, so why don't we just build it? In part four of this five-part podcast, host Katherine Davis-Young explores the massive costs and stymied sources of funding for affordable housing. Arizona used

UnAffordable: The Balancing Act

Aug 5th, 2019 25m 46s

When we talk about the issue of housing, we’re talking about so much more than building one home for one person. Housing is a balancing act among the people who need places to live, the developers who build it, the city that makes the rules, an

UnAffordable: The Working Poor

Jul 29th, 2019 21m 4s

Affordability is relative. What you can afford to pay in rent all depends on how much money you make in the first place. So how do wages relate to Arizona's growing affordability problem? And with programs like Section 8 housing choice vouchers

UnAffordable: The Perfect Storm

Jul 22nd, 2019 22m 57s

How did the Phoenix area develop one of the most severe affordable housing shortages in the country? In part one of this five-part podcast, host Katherine Davis-Young introduces us to Chanel Sinclair, a hardworking single mom in the Phoenix are

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