Title
Office of Homeless Solutions Program Report
Description
This report is issued monthly to provide the City Council with an update regarding the City’s ongoing efforts to address homelessness within our community by the Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS). This report does not encompass the totality of the City’s efforts to address homelessness but rather provides a review of the key highlights from the preceding month and an update on major upcoming projects.
Report
Summary
The City of Phoenix is committed to working with the community, service providers and our regional partners to implement regional solutions to address homelessness and mitigate impacts to neighborhoods. The information below are highlights from OHS in the areas of shelter, outreach, procurement and success stories.
Safe Outdoor Space (SOS) Update
To address the need to relocate unsheltered individuals camping in the area surrounding the Key Campus (formerly the Human Services Campus) who were willing to accept an alternative placement solution other than indoor shelter, the City of Phoenix made available a safe, outdoor structured campground site. The site, operated in partnership with the Key Campus, Community Bridges, Inc. (CBI) and Saint Vincent de Paul (SVdP), offers 200 camp sites for up to 300 individuals, including on site services, such as heat/winter respite, case management, meals and behavioral health services.
Program Update
The SOS is operating under a limited capacity while construction is still underway. Between Nov. 1, 2023, and Jan. 5, 2024, the SOS has served a total of 99 individuals, of which, 41 are still staying at the site. There have been 58 individuals that have exited the SOS, 33 of which, or 57 percent, have had a positive exit which may include moving to an emergency shelter, reuniting with family, and one person obtaining their own apartment. Two exits of note include an individual who moved into his own rental and a youth participant who was able to be connected to services and placed in shelter. CBI was able to connect with their Rapid Rehousing program to assist the participant in obtaining his own unit. Another successful CBI exit involved connecting a young female to youth services and getting her placed into the YMCA youth shelter program with wrap around services to meet her needs. The positive exits seen are a result of the collaboration and coordination between OHS, CBI, and the Key Campus partners working with each individual and leveraging each partner’s expertise and resources.
Construction Update
Construction is still underway and is anticipated to be completed by Jan. 29, 2024, which will include shower, restroom, and laundry trailer services. In the interim, OHS has partnered with a local non-profit, Social Spin, for laundry services. Turf installation began the week of Jan. 8. An ADA ramp is being constructed for people to access the warehouse space for meal service, weather relief, and to engage with service providers. An ADA restroom is being constructed in the warehouse space and will be completed after Jan. 29.
Hatcher Road Outreach and Engagement Efforts
In response to the Hatcher Road Community Safety Plan, neighborhood concerns, and the closing of the St. Vincent de Paul Chris Becker Resource Center, OHS has implemented an outreach and engagement strategy to address the unsheltered homelessness in the area of Hatcher Road between 7th and 19th avenues. Walk-up services and hot meals at the Resource Center will end on Feb. 23, 2024.
Beginning on Dec. 4, 2023, OHS assigned a Homeless Liaison and caseworkers to conduct outreach in the specified area. The outreach is focused on individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness, who are currently relying on the Resource Center to meet their basic needs, and those seeking to be connected to a sustainable solution, such as emergency shelter and substance abuse treatment. OHS has partnered with the Police Department's Desert Horizon Precinct Community Action Officers and their bike squad to conduct periodic enforcement operations as needed. As of Jan. 5, 2024, OHS has engaged 141 individuals with 106 of those individuals accepting a shelter placement.
Key Campus (formerly the Human Services Campus) Encampment Efforts
OHS completed a total of 15 outreach and engagement efforts in the area surrounding the Campus between May 10 and Nov. 1, 2023, and closed streets to camping. Efforts included offering indoor shelter and services, assisting individuals with moving belongings as they were asked to relocate, and cleaning of streets by removing trash, waste, and other debris from each identified block. At the time the efforts began, nearly 700 individuals camped in the right of way in the area from 7th Avenue to 15th Avenue, Van Buren Street to Harrison Street, and it was by far the state’s largest encampment.
As a result of this effort, staff engaged over 700 people in the area, 590 of which accepted indoor shelter, treatment or alternative placement. Attachment A includes the number of individuals engaged and the number who accepted shelter on the day of each engagement effort. Attachment B depicts the percent distribution per shelter resulting from the efforts to date. Attachment C illustrates where the individuals who originally accepted indoor shelter, treatment or alternative placement during these efforts are as of Nov. 27, 2023. The data shows that 68 percent remain in an indoor environment, while 15 percent have left shelter and are again in an unsheltered situation.
Since Nov. 1, staff continue to enforce the court-ordered no-camping requirement in this area. In addition, proactive outreach and education continue to take place, and the area continues to be monitored and individuals encountered are engaged and offered shelter and the SOS as options.
Other Communities Addressing Homelessness
OHS is committed to ending homelessness through a comprehensive, regional approach to shelter and heat relief, outreach, supportive care, behavioral health services, homelessness prevention, and supportive housing. In 2023, the City of Phoenix visited and researched a number of cities outside of Arizona to share ideas, learn best practices, and identify strategies for addressing homelessness in communities, including San Diego, Austin, San Antonio, and Portland. In visiting these cities, the City of Phoenix was able to learn about various unique interventions each city was using to address homelessness as summarized in Attachment D. In short, what staff learned is that the majority of successful interventions that have been implemented in other cities have already been implemented or are in progress in Phoenix.
San Diego, California
The City of San Diego launched their Safe Sleeping Program in June 2023 which offers a safe, legal camping space as an alternative to traditional congregate shelters through the use of a City-owned lot. San Diego’s site has 24/7 security, has a 133-tent (266 person) capacity, and allows for pets, partners and personal belongings. Individuals staying on site are placed on a referral basis and are free to enter and exit at any time and are offered services such as showers, restrooms, meals, and housing navigation. There are established rules and guidelines for the site, such as no on-site substance or alcohol use, and registered sex offenders are not allowed.
Additionally, similar to Phoenix’s approach, San Diego utilizes an engagement process, which includes outreach for weeks by non-law enforcement outreach teams leading up to the start of enforcement. San Diego also uses signage identifying locations with priority areas addressed first.
Lastly, San Diego’s City Council approved an Unsafe Camping Ordinance in June 2023 and began enforcing it on July 31, 2023, with a model including officers offering shelter. The Ordinance allowed for enforcement in the following locations, regardless of shelter availability:
- Within two blocks of K - 12 schools;
- Within two blocks of a shelter;
- Along trolley tracks and transportation hubs;
- In City parks where public health or safety risk is determined; and
- In any open space, waterway, or banks of a waterway
Portland, Oregon
The City of Portland passed a local tax in 2021 that will fund housing and shelter operations for ten years. The Arizona delegation learned about the many government agencies, private business groups and non-profit service providers that are working collaboratively to address the growing number of encampments in and around the city. City staff also visited one of six Safe Rest Villages, which are non-congregate shelters created on city properties with various modular units.
Austin, Texas
In September 2023, a delegation from the City of Austin visited Phoenix to learn from City staff how the City was able to increase shelter capacity so quickly, learn about various collaborations, and tour shelters and housing sites. The City of Phoenix then visited Austin to learn about their interventions. Staff visited a 51-acre tiny home community, discussed their shelter expansion efforts, encampment decommissioning practices and their focus on permanent supportive housing.
San Antonio, Texas
In October 2023, City staff visited several sites in San Antonio including shelter sites, tiny home villages, permanent supportive housing sites, and harm reduction centers- sites where individuals can participate in needle and paraphernalia exchange. San Antonio was very focused on shelter and permanent supportive housing services. Staff also learned about a U.S. Housing and Urban Development Youth demonstration grant San Antonio received that allowed them to open a daytime youth drop-in center for youth ages 18-24.
Office of Homeless Solutions Staff Outreach Success Stories
Success Story
A Homeless Liaison was tasked to conduct a personal property assessment for a shopping cart on the sidewalk in the Sunnyslope area during summer 2023. The owner of the cart was in the adjacent park, so the Liaison was able to speak with her and provide education about obstructing the sidewalk. The Liaison also educated her about heat respite and other services being offered at the Sunnyslope Family Services Center. She spoke with the Liaison about her housing goals and some old criminal charges standing her way of housing. She was encouraged to go to the heat respite center and work with OHS staff. In mid-November, the Liaison received a call that the client was to graduate from specialty court and invited the Liaison to the graduation ceremony. The Liaison learned that since their initial conversation, she accessed the heat respite and services at Sunnyslope Family Services Center and was accepted into specialty court. She and her fiancé accepted shelter and worked on their court requirements for the remainder of the summer. Without being in shelter, it would have been so much harder for them to accomplish this. Both her and her fiancé graduated from specialty court with all charges dismissed.
Success Story
A Homeless Liaison outreached a 39-year-old male at Cortez Park who had been on the streets after parting ways with his wife of 13 years. He struggled with depression and began using fentanyl. He expressed interest in shelter, so the Liaison immediately secured him a bed at Washington Relief Center. The Liaison helped him pack his belongings and transported him to the shelter where he will have access to case management and his essential needs can be met.
Success Story
A Homeless Liaison engaged with a female at Encanto Park who identified as being homeless for the last five years. The Liaison asked if she was interested in placement at the Washington Relief Center and she agreed. She reported having Social Security Disability Insurance due to her mental health diagnosis and wanting to work on obtaining her own permanent housing again. She also reported she missed her medication dosage last month and asked for assistance. The Liaison contacted the CBI team for transportation assistance. When CBI arrived, the Liaison expressed urgency on the client needing assistance with scheduling an appointment at her clinic due to missing her medication dosage. CBI agreed to assist the client, and she was able to reschedule her appointment. She was then transported to Washington Relief Center for shelter placement.
Success Story
A Homeless Liaison encountered two women at Maryvale Park who have been homeless on-and-off for several years. Both individuals acknowledged their struggles with mental health and addiction. They had become friends on the streets and believe that entering a program together could improve their chances for success. The Liaison informed them of the services available at Washington Relief Center, and they agreed to be transported there that afternoon. They arrived at the shelter sober, happy and hopeful.
Upcoming Shelter Projects
Attachment E represents a summary of new shelter beds created with City of Phoenix investments including the 1,074 indoor shelter beds created in 2022 and 2023 to date, and the additional 790 indoor shelter beds and 125 affordable housing units that are in process and expected to be completed during 2024-25. A total of 1,864 new beds are expected be created during the 2022-25 timeframe, along with 125 affordable housing units.
Existing Shelter Project Outcomes
Phoenix invested in four major projects in 2022 to create and provide 592 new indoor shelter beds, and seven projects to date in 2023 to provide 482 new shelter beds as summarized in Attachment E. The attached table (Attachment F) represents the bed utilization at the shelters including:
- Number of unduplicated clients served at the Washington Relief Center;
- Number of unduplicated clients served at Respiro;
- Number of unduplicated clients served at Rio Fresco;
- Number of unduplicated clients served through the I-HELP Program;
- Number of unduplicated clients served at SVdP temporary lodging;
- Number of unduplicated clients served at Mercy House temporary lodging;
- Number of unduplicated clients served at A New Leaf temporary lodging;
- Number of unduplicated clients served at Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) temporary lodging;
- Number of unduplicated clients served at CBI temporary lodging; and
- Average monthly usage at the CASS Single Adult Shelter.
Success Story
A client had a voucher that was due to expire and lack of transportation was preventing him from searching for an apartment. Staff from the CBI outreach team were able to place him at the Native American Connections Lodge and started working with Social Security Administration to obtain an award letter for benefits. The staff provided the client with a list of apartments to search from so he could work towards ending his homelessness and obtained an extension for his voucher. The client disappeared for a few months and after located was asked to keep staff updated of his location and placed him into another shelter. The staff found an apartment that would accept his voucher in Tempe and assisted with the application and inspection process. During the wait for the apartment, he received assistance with mental health treatment and medication stabilization. He moved into the apartment and is receiving furniture assistance through SVdP. He is grateful for the assistance he has received.
Success Story
The CBI outreach team enrolled two veteran brothers who had been living out of their truck in the veterans’ program. The first brother had a cat and requested to go to the VA substance abuse treatment program. He wanted to complete treatment and get his job back. The second brother suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and has a Serious Mental Illness determination. Staff transported him to get connected to CBI veteran supportive services for intake. It was discovered that both clients were eligible for all services. Through the collaboration of the veteran program and the outreach program, these veteran brothers were able to be housed together. They are very happy with the assistance received from CBI.
Success Story
A female client left a domestic violence situation after 34 years. While staying in United Methodist Outreach Ministries (UMOM) Halle shelter, she obtained two jobs (one part time and one full time) and was able to save towards housing and become self-reliant. She said it was helpful having the case manager’s guidance to assist her to become independent, after leaving an abusive relationship. She was able to move into her own two-bedroom home using her savings and financial assistance from UMOM. She is now maintaining her housing without additional assistance.
Success Story
A 40-year-old female experienced homelessness due to domestic violence and untreated mental health challenges. Her child, who is non-verbal, and had special needs was placed in Department of Child Safety (DCS) care. The client entered Lutheran Social Services I-HELP where she received case management services and attained wrap around services with her mental health clinic. The Phoenix I-HELP case management team worked towards reunification with her child, housing, and support systems to ensure sustainability. She attained a Family Unification Program voucher through DCS and move-in funds through one of the social service agencies in Maricopa County. The client moved into her two-bedroom apartment and will have overnight visits with her child which will lead to permanent reunification. The participant is grateful to Phoenix I-HELP and Lutheran Social Services for helping her end her homelessness and achieve sustainability.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Gina Montes and the Office of Homeless Solutions.