Highlights
- AZ HUGS, a Tempe-based nonprofit, is placing unhoused families in motel rooms as Valley shelter waitlists grow.
- Maricopa County has recorded 40 heat-related deaths as extreme heat continues across the region.
- Cooling centers and county heat-relief sites are also expanding, with Maricopa County operating 250 heat relief locations.
- AZ HUGS describes its mission as providing resources, support, shelter, and meals for homeless and low-income families in Arizona.
A Tempe nonprofit is covering motel stays for unhoused families who cannot get into shelters as Maricopa County's heat-related death toll climbs to 40, 12 News reported Friday.
AZ HUGS, which describes itself as a nonprofit that "provides resources, support, shelter, and meals for the homeless and low-income families in Arizona," is placing families in motel rooms while they wait for shelter beds to open. The organization also operates the Hugs House, described on its website as a renovated trailer converted into a short-term shelter program.
The motel-room effort comes as shelter waitlists grow across the Valley during a stretch of extreme heat. KJZZ reported Thursday that cooling centers are serving as a lifeline for homeless Arizonans as the heat continues. FOX 10 Phoenix reported that Maricopa County has opened 250 heat relief sites as deaths rise.
AZ Family reported July 26 that AZ HUGS was helping families get out of the heat as shelters filled up, corroborating the 12 News account.
Maricopa County's heat-relief infrastructure has expanded in recent years; the county previously ran a Hotels to Housing program that served more than 600 homeless persons with bridge housing through hotels, according to county records.
No timeline for when shelter waitlists are expected to clear was included in the report.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- 12News retrieved 31/07/2026 04:29
- causeiq.com retrieved 31/07/2026 04:29
- azhugs.org retrieved 31/07/2026 04:29
- kjzz.org retrieved 31/07/2026 04:29
- Fox 10 Phoenix retrieved 31/07/2026 04:29
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 31/07/2026 04:29
- Maricopa County retrieved 31/07/2026 04:29
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 31/07/2026 04:29. Every claim traces to a source.
