Pima County launched its first-of-its-kind shelter bed database for a public testing period on Apr. 21.
The public website serves as a tool for unhoused people looking for a shelter. Built by Pima County for Tucson Pima Collaboration To End Homelessness, it currently provides information about the availability and locations of 730 of the 881 shelter beds in the county.
Kat Davis with TPCH said the initiative helps shelters work together as a system, instead of individual agencies.
“Shelter providers will be reporting multiple times a day how much, how many of their beds are still available for that day, so they will have more up-to-date data,” she said. “It will also have important information for both people experiencing homelessness as well as people working in the housing system.”
Jen Darland, Director for the Pima County Office of Housing Opportunities and Homeless Solutions, said the tool will be useful to point people to the next available shelter bed near their given location.
“When shelters do not have that availability and they have someone come to their door, this resource will be able to provide them the ability to navigate somebody to another nearby facility, that might have some bed availability,” she said.
The site also contains information about shelter admission rules.
“It has quick filter buttons that will filter facilities that require sobriety or that allow pets to be there,” Davis said. “There is also information on each of the shelters around, like how do you get into that shelter? Can you walk up? Do you need a referral? Do you need to call to schedule an intake? All that information will be much more accessible.”
Besides available shelter beds, the website shows community resources like the Southern Arizona VA and the Gospel Rescue Mission. Davis said other resources, including bus lines, cooling centers, the Pima County Libraries, and the Pima County Transition Center will also be visible.
“We are excited for the opportunity to create some tools that we've never had before, and to help identify what resources are available so we can, in a timely way, ensure people are being navigated to the intervention that they need,” Darland said.
