UnAffordable and UnSheltered
by Hear Arizona
Are homelessness, and affordable housing in Arizona connected? Housing in the Phoenix area has become hard to afford. However, it's often the institutional barriers that keep people homeless. UnSheltered and UnAffordable podcasts explore the obstacles that can make surviving and thriving in the Valley a challenge.
Episodes
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Unsheltered: Don't stay long
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 riverbed go? And what mechanisms are in place to help…
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UnAffordable: Another Way Home
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 go beyond finding available housing units. In this...
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UnAffordable: Dorothy Finds A Home
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 their only alternative is living on the streets or…
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UnAffordable: Unavailable and Unattainable
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 does that leave those who cannot afford rent or a...
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UnAffordable: The American Dream
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 dual-income families are having a difficult time…
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UnAffordable: Moving On
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 helping Arizonans trying to find a decent place to live...
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UnSheltered: Sentenced
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. For the large number of Americans who are one…
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UnSheltered: Assembly Line Justice
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 charges. Those who are arrested for low-level…
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UnSheltered: New Normal
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 organizations that serve unsheltered Arizonans.
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UnSheltered: Improvise: Homeless During Crisis
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 recovery, disaster response isn't designed to include the...
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UnSheltered: Illness & Incarceration
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 realities of life on the streets. With a criminal…
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UnSheltered: Street Living
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.
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UnAffordable: Where Do We Go From Here?
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 worsening housing shortage. In the final episode of this...
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UnAffordable: The Money Problem(s)
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 to put much more money toward affordable housing....
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UnAffordable: The Balancing Act
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, and even neighbors who already live in a place. In part...
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UnAffordable: The Working Poor
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 available to help low-income people afford rent, why...
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UnAffordable: The Perfect Storm
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 area who has found it difficult to afford rent even with…
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About this show
Are homelessness, and affordable housing in Arizona connected? Housing in the Phoenix area has become hard to afford. However, it's often the institutional barriers that keep people homeless. UnSheltered and UnAffordable podcasts explore the obstacles that can make surviving and thriving in the Valley a challenge.
Hosted by
Hear Arizona
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