PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 As temperatures climb in Phoenix, attention is turning to the city\u2019s unhoused residents, especially those living in \u201cThe Zone,\u201d an area of downtown where thousands of people have lived on the streets.<\/p>\n
Some businesses say encampments are returning and the city\u2019s work only goes so far.<\/p>\n
Joel Coplin\u2019s studio sits in the middle of The Zone, a part of Phoenix lined with homeless encampments. Three years ago, he said, the area was cleared after the city lost the lawsuit filed by business owners and was required to move people out and clean it up.<\/p>\n
Coplin said the city continues cleanup efforts, but the results don\u2019t always last.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe police come around like 5 in the morning and say, \u2018It\u2019s 7 o\u2019clock, we\u2019re going to be cleaning up. Everybody\u2019s got to get your stuff up and gone,\u2019\u201d Coplin said.<\/p>\n
He said people often return within hours.<\/p>\n
Maricopa County recently released new data showing a slight uptick in the number of people experiencing homelessness, but officials say at least half are placed into shelter.<\/p>\n
City says conditions have improved<\/p>\n
Scott Hill with the City of Phoenix said conditions in The Zone are not what they were.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, experiencing it and doing it with numbers are two different things, too,\u201d Hill said. \u201cJust three years ago, there was 1,000 people out there camping. And that\u2019s not what you\u2019re looking at now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hill said the city\u2019s work continues, including cleanups and outreach.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently we\u2019re at five days a week cleanup while we\u2019re also engaging because my teams are with the streets teams when they\u2019re down there,\u201d Hill said.<\/p>\n
Hill said the city has added nearly 1,800 new shelter spaces and expanded heat-relief efforts.<\/p>\n
Coplin said he supports a network of smaller facilitiesacross the Valley.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I think that instead of one big mega-shelter, that you have smaller shelters, spaced throughout the metropolitan area,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I would like to say, too, that there\u2019s people that are homeless \u2014 they\u2019re just homeless. They\u2019re not murderers.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also suggested repurposing vacant motels along Van Buren Street.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, there\u2019s all kinds of motels that are abandoned and empty, right up and down Van Buren,\u201d Coplin said. \u201cThey could be utilized.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coplin said he hopes for a day when the people who inspire his work find stability and a new start.<\/p>\n
In the area of The Zone, the City of Phoenix says it continues to provide medical services and meals to those experiencing homelessness. Officials say there have been 300 new placements in the last 30 days.<\/p>\n
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