How to Get Hotel Vouchers for the Homeless in Arizona

If you need a hotel or motel voucher because you are homeless in Arizona, call 2-1-1. That call connects you to your local homeless services agency and the Coordinated Entry System that controls access to emergency shelter and vouchers. Hotel vouchers do exist through both federal Emergency Solutions Grant funding and Arizona’s state-run Short-Term Crisis Services, but they are a backup used when shelter beds are full or unsuitable, not a resource handed out on request.1eCFR. 24 CFR 576.102 Expect a screening, expect to wait, and expect the process to move faster if your situation involves children, medical vulnerability, domestic violence, or dangerous weather exposure.

Who Actually Qualifies

Arizona runs two different voucher pathways with two different sets of rules. Which one you fall under depends mostly on whether you have children with you.

Federal Programs Through Continuum of Care

Most vouchers in Arizona flow through the federal Emergency Solutions Grant program and use HUD’s definition of homelessness. You qualify as literally homeless if your primary nighttime residence is a place not meant for sleeping, such as a car, a park, or an abandoned building, or if you are staying in an emergency shelter or transitional housing. You also qualify if you are leaving a hospital, jail, or similar institution where you stayed for 90 days or less and were homeless right before entering.2eCFR. 24 CFR 578.3 These programs serve single adults, couples, and families.

Arizona DES Short-Term Crisis Services

The state’s Short-Term Crisis Services program, run by the Department of Economic Security, is narrower. You must be an Arizona resident, have at least one dependent child under 18 living with you, and have gross household income at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. If your household includes someone aged 60 or older or a person with a disability, the cap rises to 150 percent. You also need to explain and document the emergency that put you in crisis.3Arizona Department of Economic Security. Short-Term Crisis Services

Single adults without children generally cannot use DES Short-Term Crisis Services for a hotel voucher and need to go through Coordinated Entry to reach federally funded programs.

How to Request a Voucher Step by Step

Arizona’s population centers use a Coordinated Entry System to match people with the right resource. You cannot walk into a hotel and ask for a voucher, and you usually cannot bypass this system by going directly to a nonprofit.

  1. Call 2-1-1 (or 877-211-8661). Tell the operator you are homeless and need shelter or a hotel voucher. They will direct you to the nearest Coordinated Entry access point.4211 Arizona. Coordinated Entry Points for Individuals Experiencing Homelessness
  2. Go to that access point for a screening. A worker will ask about your living situation, health, safety, and how long you have been without stable housing. In Maricopa County the assessment tool is called the VI-SPDAT.5Maricopa Association of Governments. Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry System Policies and Procedures
  3. Ask specifically about emergency shelter and hotel vouchers. These are handled first-come, first-served based on availability that day, not by your assessment score.5Maricopa Association of Governments. Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry System Policies and Procedures
  4. If nothing is available that day, ask when to check back and whether you are on a waitlist. Completing Coordinated Entry does not guarantee a voucher or any specific placement.6Maricopa Association of Governments. Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry Access Points

Where to Go in Maricopa County

Maricopa County, covering Phoenix, Mesa, and Tempe, has the most developed access network.

  • Single adults: the Brian Garcia Welcome Center, managed by Keys to Change, is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is the primary Coordinated Entry point for individuals without children.
  • Families with children under 18: the UMOM Family Housing Hub. Office hours are Monday 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reach them through 2-1-1 or 877-211-8661.7211 Arizona. UMOM Family Housing Hub

UMOM New Day Centers, Catholic Charities, and the Salvation Army also receive funding to run shelter and, in some cases, distribute motel vouchers for families with special needs.

Where to Go Outside Maricopa County

The Arizona Balance of State Continuum of Care covers the 13 counties outside Maricopa: Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Mohave, Navajo, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai, and Yuma.8Arizona Department of Housing. Arizona Balance of State Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry Policy Calling 2-1-1 is still the starting point. In rural areas, Community Action Agencies under contract with DES are usually the actual service provider:9Arizona Department of Economic Security. Community Action Agencies

  • Western Arizona Council of Governments (La Paz, Mohave, Yuma): (928) 782-1886
  • Northern Arizona Council of Governments (Apache, Navajo, Yavapai): (928) 774-1895
  • Coconino County Community Services: (928) 679-7455
  • South Eastern Arizona Community Action Program (Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Santa Cruz): (928) 428-4653
  • Pima County Community Assistance Division (Pima County, including Tucson): (520) 724-2460
  • Community Action Human Resources Agency (Pinal County): (520) 466-1112

In Tucson, the Salvation Army’s Hospitality House at (520) 795-9671 provides shelter and may have motel vouchers for families with special needs.10Salvation Army Tucson. Hospitality House Shelter

What the Voucher Covers and for How Long

A voucher pays the room and taxes directly to a hotel the provider chooses. You will not receive cash, you cannot pick the hotel, and the voucher does not cover food, transportation, or any personal expenses. Stays typically run from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the provider’s funding and the severity of your situation. Extensions require your case manager to recertify that the emergency continues and that you are working on a housing plan. Programs enforce the hotel’s rules and their own behavioral expectations; breaking them can end the placement early.

Special Situations That Change the Path

Veterans

Veterans experiencing homelessness in Arizona can access the HUD-VASH program, a joint HUD and Department of Veterans Affairs effort that pairs a Housing Choice Voucher with VA case management. Contact your nearest VA Medical Center to ask about eligibility. Veterans can also enter regular Coordinated Entry, and some shelters, such as the Catholic Charities facility in the tri-state area, hold beds specifically for veterans.

Domestic Violence Survivors

If you are fleeing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, the Violence Against Women Act protects you when you apply for federally subsidized emergency housing. A provider cannot deny or terminate your assistance because of abuse committed against you, including denying you for an eviction record, criminal history, or damaged credit that resulted from the violence.11U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) You can self-certify your situation using HUD Form HUD-5382 without producing police reports, unless the provider has conflicting information. Providers must give you written notice of your VAWA rights when you are admitted, denied, or facing termination. If you already hold a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, you have the right to move with continued assistance for safety reasons.

People With Disabilities

Emergency shelter programs that use hotel vouchers must give equal access to people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act, even when a nonprofit or private organization runs the program on a government entity’s behalf.12U.S. Department of Justice. ADA Best Practices Tool Kit – Chapter 7 Addendum 2: The ADA and Emergency Shelters Tell the screener during your Coordinated Entry assessment if you use a wheelchair, have a hearing or vision impairment, or need any other accommodation.

Extreme Heat

Arizona summers make outdoor exposure a survival issue. From May 1 through September 30, Maricopa County runs the Heat Relief Network, providing cooling centers, respite centers, and hydration stations across the metro area.13Maricopa County. Staying Safe in the Extreme Heat When the National Weather Service issues an Excessive Heat Warning, the Salvation Army opens additional heat relief stations with indoor cooling, water, and extended hours. Outside heat season, public libraries and community centers stay open year-round as cool indoor spaces. Always tell the 2-1-1 operator or your Coordinated Entry screener about your weather exposure. Heat vulnerability can move you higher in line for emergency shelter or a voucher.

What Happens After the Hotel Stay

The voucher is the beginning of a process, not the end. Federal rules require ESG-funded programs to offer supportive services alongside shelter, including case management, employment help, health services, legal services, and mental health and substance abuse treatment.14HUD Exchange. ESG Requirements The two most common next steps are rapid re-housing, which pays a deposit and short-term rent to get you into your own apartment, and permanent supportive housing for people with high service needs and long histories of homelessness. Both are prioritized based on your vulnerability score, length of homelessness, and chronic homeless status.5Maricopa Association of Governments. Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry System Policies and Procedures Keep every appointment. Losing contact with your case manager sends you to the back of the line.