Phoenix Wraps Up Final Outreach Push in Downtown Encampment Known as 'The Zone'
With its last block of tents cleared ahead of a court-ordered Nov. 4 deadline, Phoenix says most people it reached in the downtown encampment accepted shelter.
By Juan Gonzalez ·
Several downtown Phoenix blocks that were crowded with tents and makeshift shelters only months ago are now empty. On Wednesday, the city finished its last outreach effort in the homeless encampment known as "The Zone."
The clearing follows a lawsuit filed in August 2022 by a group of local business owners and residents. They argued that the area, where more than 700 unsheltered people had been camping, had become a public nuisance. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge overseeing the case gave the city until Nov. 4 to clear the encampment.
Since May, Phoenix's Office of Homeless Solutions has worked through the area one block at a time, closing each to camping and offering shelter placement to the people living there. By Wednesday morning, a single block of tents remained, along the gates of the Human Services Campus on Jackson Street.
Scott Hall, the office's deputy director, told reporters during the final outreach that the city was on track to meet the court's deadline. He said the city had enough resources to offer everyone present a first step off the street. Maintaining that progress and engaging people as they try to resettle would fall to the city next, he said. "But most people have been adhering to the signs up that say we can't camp in this area anymore," Hall said.
Outreach workers held 16 engagement efforts in the area from May onward and spoke with about 600 people who had been camping there. According to the Office of Homeless Solutions, roughly 80% of them accepted shelter.
For those who decline shelter, Hall said the city can now point them to a new structured campground with 24-hour security. He described the "safe outdoor space" as a resource comparable to any quality shelter, with case management and help navigating services. "So our message is, if that's the place you need, go in there and our goal is still to get to an indoor location," he said.
The City Council approved the site in September. Hall said it is already open for camping, and construction is due to be finished later this month. When complete, it will be able to hold about 300 people.
The city's work is not yet over in legal terms. Attorneys for Phoenix are scheduled to appear before a Superior Court judge at the end of November to demonstrate that the city complied with the order to clear The Zone.
Source: KJZZ
