Central Arizona Shelter Services has opened The Haven in Phoenix, the state’s first emergency shelter built exclusively for adults 55 and older. A $100,000 grant from Banner Health’s Community Reinvestment Program supports the non-congregate site, which offers private units and case management.
Homelessness among Americans aged 55 and older has grown at one of the fastest rates of any age group over the past decade, a trend researchers have linked to a cohort that entered adulthood during a period of repeated labor market disruption. Phoenix now has purpose built shelter capacity aimed at that population.
Central Arizona Shelter Services, a Maricopa County provider operating since 1984, has opened The Haven, an emergency shelter restricted to adults 55 and over. Banner Health contributed $100,000 to the project through the Community Reinvestment Program run by its Medicaid plan, Banner University Family Care.
Private units replace the open dormitory layout common at large shelters. Operators nationally have moved toward non-congregate designs because separate rooms accommodate residents managing oxygen equipment, mobility limitations or medication schedules that prove difficult in shared halls. Each resident works with a case manager and gains access to primary care, behavioral health treatment and meals, plus housing navigation aimed at permanent placement.
Medicaid managed care organizations around the country have steadily directed reinvestment dollars toward housing stability programs, a spending category tracked apart from direct medical claims. Banner Health reports annual community benefit spending above $1 billion and maintains a research and training partnership with the University of Arizona.
Details of the award were announced by Banner Health on July 10, 2026.