The stories of how someone became or experiences homelessness are incredibly varied. 

Lawrence Small, 41, has been homeless for two months after experiencing domestic violence. But this isn't his first time experiencing homelessness. He was also homeless in Seattle when he was 34 years old.

"Seattle is different from Phoenix," Small said. "Seattle, they help homeless people out there. The housing, jobs. Phoenix don't do it."

Homelessness continues to rise across the Valley. In 2019, there were at least 6,614 people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County.

To understand what it's like to be homeless in Maricopa County, the Valley 101 team partnered with reporter Jessica Boehm and the Maricopa Association of Governments, otherwise known as MAG. Each year, MAG does a Point in Time survey of the homeless population in an attempt to understand patterns and trends leading to homelessness. 

This year, we went with them during the survey. In this episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, you'll hear three stories from people currently experiencing homelessness. 

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