Due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care to opt out of the unsheltered Point In Time (PIT) Homeless Count for 2021. Every January, volunteers and outreach teams from local communities collaborate to survey and count the number of homeless. persons in their respective locations. With the information provided by the PIT Count, the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care and local communities can determine how best to address homelessness. For more information see https://www.azmag.gov/Programs/Homelessness/Point-In-Time-Homeless-Count">https://www.azmag.gov/Programs/Homelessness/Point-In-Time-Homeless-Count.

NOTE: The HUD definition of chronic homelessness is: (1) a person who lives in a place not meant for human habitation, Safe Haven, or Emergency Shelter, (2) has a disability, and (3) has been homeless continuously for one year OR four or more times homeless in the last three years, where the combined length of time homeless is at least 12 months.

**Mesa 2025 Data: 6 interactions documented in cities outside of Mesa. Geolocation confirmed interactions occurred in Mesa, versus documented city. Dataset manually updated to reflect correct interaction location and correct PIT counts reflected in https://maricopacoc.org/data/point-in-time-count/">Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care .

By 2034, the number of military retirees in the United States is expected to reach 2.37 million; an increase from an estimated 2.27 million retirees in 2024. Military retirement pay In the U.S., military retirement refers to pension and benefit plans for those who have accumulated 20 or more years of active service. There are different factors that influence how much is paid out to different veterans, which includes length of service, disability percentage, the year the person entered the military, and type of retirement. The total payment for military retirees is expected to continue to increase, as well as their average benefits. However, the total outlays for the military retirement trust fund is expected to fluctuate, but ultimately rise over the next decade. U.S veterans The United States has one of the largest militaries in the world based on active personnel and has the largest defense budget in the world. However, many veterans in the U.S. struggle to find a job and find affordable housing when they return from deployment due to factors such as post-traumatic stress disorder and physical disabilities. The Department of Veteran Affairs seeks to help those coming back from training or combat assimilate back into everyday life.

This study initiated an exploration into how community members, specialists in housing issues, and social scientists might collaborate to address homelessness in Alaska. Through interviews and participant observation of planning meetings and related activities, the researchers are gathering insights from design experts, community organizers, and experts working on urban-rural homelessness in Alaska. This includes gathering information about cold weather design processes and issues facing urban-rural homelessness in Alaska, as well as the identification of possible research questions that can inform the development of a grant application for a multi-year research study. The study includes in-person as well as virtual research activities. Because of geographic distances, the majority of initial research activities were conducted virtually, but in-person field site visits began to take place June 15, 2021, and subsequent trips have taken place from August 2021-onward. These research trips involve site visits, participation in meetings, and in-person interviews when possible. Phase 1: 24 initial interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders about housing insecurity in Alaska and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes interviewees from remote villages, from the Association of Alaskan Housing Authorities (AAHA), homeless advocates, designers, social scientists, engineers, and builders. Topics included myths about homelessness, homeless versus houseless terminology, research organizations, policies, impacts of pandemic, housing needs, and contrasting strategies. Analysis and synthesis with subsequent data is ongoing. 01: policy 02: interview with researcher 03: homelessness - Anchorage - rural communities - data sharing 04: design in rural communities 05: housing shortages in rural communities 06: technical issues in housing - collaborating with rural communities 07: homeless community in Fairbanks 08: history of Cold Climate Housing Research Center 09: design - homelessness - Anchorage 10: homelessness - rural/hub/urban - need for housing design repository 11: homelessness - Nome - Savoonga - designers need to visit villages 12: reverse interview - designer interviews researchers 13: homelessness - Anchorage - Bethel - housing costs 14: homelessness - rural/hub/urban spectrum - subsistence - houseless term 15: homelessness data and Bethel - impacts of pandemic - myths 16: homelessness data and Bethel - impacts of pandemic 17: ISERC (Integrated Security Education and Research Center) research 18: homelessness data and Bethel - CARES Act 19: homelessness data (gaps) and Bethel - CARES Act 20: homelessness data and Bethel 21: designer - public awareness and museum exhibits 22: veterans and community organizer 23: AAHA staff member 24: homelessness - Fairbanks - pandemic impacts on rescue missions Phase 2: 49 additional interviews were conducted with support from NSF funding (NSF 2103356: RAPID: COVID-19, Remote Ethnography, and the Rural Alaskan Housing Crisis). A meta-data description of the participants and topics are attached ('RAPID_interview_list_Descriptions').