Arizona Homeless Solutions

In this project dubbed "Arizona Homeless Solutions," the reporter attempted to take a solutions journalism approach to covering family homelessness in Arizona with an emphasis on one program, Save the Family. As a state, Arizona has been remarkably successful in reducing the number of homeless families in the state. According to the 2016 State of Homelessness in America Report, the state reduced its number of homeless family households by 22 percent, the sixth largest reduction nationally. This success is due in large part to the effective collaboration of a variety of organizations. But one program in particular, Save the Family, had received praise throughout the community for its successful and innovative intervention effort. The organization was also very data-conscious, making it a good program to look at for a solutions journalism approach. Solutions journalism is a form of journalism that attempts to go beyond simply reporting on a problem. Instead, it focuses on the responses to social issues, and takes a critical look at how successful or unsuccessful an effort is and what can be learned from it. It is a rigorous, evidence-based and critical approach to reporting, that really is not all that different from traditional in-depth reporting. The reporter spent about a year putting this approach into practice by dissecting two of the organizations major intervention programs, transitional housing and rapid rehousing. He interviewed seven full-time staff members on multiple occasions. He also interviewed experts from Maricopa County Continuum of Care, as well as individuals from the City of Mesa and another homeless service provider, UMOM New Day Centers. Lastly, the reporter spent time with one family that had come through Save the Family's transitional housing program and is now permanently stabilized in a house all their own. During the process of reporting, the reporter also maintained a blog on the AZ Homeless Solutions website in which he chronicled his reporting experience, publishing anecdotes from his notebook and short blurbs on catching parts of his interviews. He would also post about current homeless advocacy events. The blog ultimately had about a dozen posts. After months of reporting and maintaining the blog, the reporter produced a solutions journalism piece on Save the Family's effort that was about 2,500 words in length. The final product was published on the website.