Phoenix organizers celebrate approval of new city budget that prioritizes community care, crisis funding

Organizers and advocates are celebrating a tentative victory after the Phoenix City Council voted unanimously to approve next fiscal year’s budget that will allocate millions to community programs and crisis funding.

Passed Tuesday afternoon with a 9-0 vote, the budget allocates over $162.5 million to various social service sectors, including affordable child care, affordable housing, services for those experiencing homelessness, eviction legal services and aid that’s vital to Phoenicians facing difficulties amid federal cuts to financial assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicare and Social Security.   

With community organizers pushing for $6 million in crisis funding instead of the $3.15 million proposed by the council for the Flexible Emergency Financial Assistance program, the budget was still considered a tentative victory. 

An additional $51 million was allocated to the Phoenix Police Department on top of the $1 billion approved for the department last fiscal year. 

“Today’s budget approval was a big win for Phoenix residents. Investments in childcare, affordable housing and crisis relief make this city stronger. At the same time, we are grieving the council’s choice to put new police cars over the $3 million in additional funds needed for families in crisis,” Ben Laughlin, interim director of Poder in Action, said in a statement released shortly after the vote. “As the Trump administration continues to attack our communities, we will continue to push the city of Phoenix to do better for the people who live here.” 

In a conversation with CALÓ News, Andrea Luna Cervantes, the campaign manager for Organized Power In Numbers (OPIN), said that the investment in community care was made possible by local action and organizing.

“This is really through the fruits of our labor and what we've done — shown up to every single district and advocated for this money. We're hoping to see an even continued increase but, in all honesty, this is what we expect from the city and we just continue to expect for them to do this and more as we suffer the brunt of the federal administration these next couple of years,” Luna Cervantes said.

Since President Donald Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” into law in July 2025, SNAP participation has gone down by 9%, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). More than 3.5 million people no longer have access to a vital food insecurity assistance program following the cuts that came with H.R.1, instead allocating over $75 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and detention center expansion nationwide. 

With a large sum of funding geared towards Trump’s promised goal of conducting the largest mass deportation in the country’s history, many Americans are falling into poverty and lacking access to social services to help keep them afloat. 

By extension, community members impacted by ICE raids — which have led to disrupted work schedules and separation of loved ones who provide financial stability to their homes — are left without financial support. Many present during Tuesday’s meeting spoke to this and demanded an adjustment to the crisis fund to include those without citizenship status. 

“I’m here to demand that the city of Phoenix increase the $6.5 million Crisis Relief Fund’s allocation and expand access to all residents because immigrant families especially need support with housing, food, and other necessities while they defend themselves in immigration court during detention,” Phoenix resident Yolanda Barrera said during public comment.

All nine Phoenix City Council members voted to pass the budget for next year, but there’s still a month before the adoption is finalized. 

“These investments recognize that families need real support and that people should not have to navigate the complex systems alone, especially in the face of federal attacks on social services. This is the kind of thoughtful, people-centered approach we should continue investing in as a city,” District 7 Councilwoman Anna Hernandez said. As an ally to outspoken non-profits like OPIN and Poder in Action, she is also a staunch critic of the Phoenix Police Department being granted additional funding amid past Department of Justice findings of negligence and systemic abuse. “This budget showed a lot of very important progress. For years, the surplus… in our budget has allocated additional funding to the police department. A department which already takes up a disproportionate amount of the General Fund. This year that is not the case and that is great.” 

Though the budget holds promise once ratified and put into action, for community members and advocates, it also holds much to be desired as federal policy continues to weigh down on Phoenicians. Yet, still, organizers and advocates alike have found hope and optimism in the upcoming fiscal year’s fundings.  

“We're really trying to bask in this really historical and big win for [the] community, while still letting the city know that we are wanting to see more. This is a step in the right direction and we're going to continue to be here and ask for more, regardless if more was given,” Luna Cervantes said. “I really want people to get involved and continue advocating for money to go into their communities… because it's our tax money, and we should be the ones really collecting it and seeing it back and invested within us.”

Analisa Valdez (she/her) is a freelance journalist based in Phoenix. Her reporting includes community & culture, social justice, arts, business, and politics.