Phoenix Councilwoman Anna Hernandez Named for National Housing Rights Award

By Habari News

PHOENIX — Phoenix District 7 Councilwoman Anna Hernandez has been named a recipient of the National Homelessness Law Center’s Local Legislator Award, recognizing her advocacy for housing justice, public health, and community-driven responses to homelessness.

According to an announcement from her office, Hernandez was scheduled to receive the nonpartisan honor at the 2026 Human Right to Housing Awards on October 14 in Washington, D.C.

The organization cited her opposition to policies that criminalize homelessness, including her role as the sole Phoenix City Council opponent of the city’s “Safe Medical Treatment in Parks” ordinance, according to the release.

Recognition for Housing and Public Health Advocacy

The ordinance was first introduced in December 2025, the announcement states. The National Homelessness Law Center also recognized the community engagement Hernandez’s opposition helped generate.

“Caring for one another should never be illegal. It should be the foundation of how we govern,” Hernandez said.

She argued that punishing people for being unhoused or struggling with mental health conditions or addiction does not resolve homelessness or address the underlying housing crisis.

“Homes, health care, and services that meet people where they are do,” she said.

The supplied release does not describe the ordinance’s specific provisions or include a response from its supporters.

Sharing the Recognition With Community Advocates

Hernandez said she was accepting the award on behalf of advocates, outreach workers, service providers and neighbors with lived experience who participated in the debate.

She specifically recognized Circle the City, Southwest Recovery Alliance, Fund for Empowerment, Semillas Arizona, Valle del Sol, Shot in the Dark and Unsheltered Phoenix, along with Raelynn Rachelle and others.

Her statement credited those community members and organizations with speaking out to protect vulnerable Phoenix residents.

Personal Loss Helped Shape Her Public Service

A lifelong Phoenix resident and daughter of Mexican immigrants, Hernandez previously served in the Arizona State Senate before beginning her service on the Phoenix City Council in April 2025.

According to her office, her advocacy is rooted partly in personal loss.

Her younger brother, Alex, was killed by Phoenix police in 2019 while experiencing a mental health crisis, the release states. Two years later, her father died from COVID-19, after circumstances her office describes as having forced him back to work.

Her biography identifies those tragedies as motivations for her work on community safety, care and support for families.

In the Legislature, Hernandez advocated for affordable housing, mental health care and community safety. Her office says she continues those priorities on the City Council through support for diverse, affordable and accessible housing.

That work includes addressing what her office describes as the disproportionate impact of homelessness on Black, Brown and Indigenous communities.

A National Platform for Local Housing Leadership

Past Local Legislator Award recipients include Shameka Parrish-Wright of Louisville, Liliana Bakhtiari of Atlanta, Mike Bonin of Los Angeles and Amelia Parker of Knoxville, according to the announcement.

This year’s honorees also include U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, recipient of the Bruce F. Vento Award.

Founded in 1989, the National Homelessness Law Center works to end and prevent homelessness through litigation, policy advocacy and public education. It partners with pro bono attorneys and supports federal, state and local advocacy campaigns.

Its annual Human Right to Housing Awards recognize leadership in that movement. The awards were scheduled to be followed by the organization’s October 15–16 forum.

Hernandez’s recognition brings national attention to her position in Phoenix’s debate over homelessness policy and the role of housing, health care and supportive services.

Source: Press release from the office of Phoenix District 7 Councilwoman Anna Hernandez. The announcement scheduled the award presentation for October 14; it did not confirm the ceremony’s completion.