Title
Citizen Request: David Morgan, Rhonda Savage, Elizabeth Venable, Randy Celling, Clarissa Peterson and Stuart Tanner - District 7 & Citywide
Description
This report provides the City Council with information in response to comments made by David Morgan, Rhonda Savage, Elizabeth Venable, Randy Celling, Clarissa Peterson and Stuart Tanner at the April 22, 2026, Formal City Council meeting.
Report
Summary
During the aforementioned City Council meeting, Mr. Morgan expressed concerns that he had received notification he would be exited from the Safe Outdoor Space (SOS). The Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS) leadership spoke with Keys to Change and verified that Mr. Morgan had not been asked to leave the SOS. OHS leadership and Keys to Change staff have met multiple times with Mr. Morgan to discuss his case and he has agreed to work on a new plan that drives toward employment and housing.
Ms. Savage, Ms. Venable, Mr. Celling and Ms. Peterson expressed concerns with SOS showers containing mold. The showers are cleaned multiple times per day with bleach. The shower curtains and caulking in the showers are also frequently replaced. In addition, on April 8 the floors were re-epoxied. All these steps are taken proactively to prevent mildew and mold which can be present in these types of showers and with the heavy usage experienced at the SOS. On April 23, the City’s Environmental Program Coordinator visited the site at the request of OHS to evaluate the showers. The Environmental Program Coordinator did not identify mold. Out of an abundance of caution, a third-party mold inspector also tested the showers on the same day and no mold was detected. The ceilings in the showers have multiple black burn marks caused by vandalism. Clients may be mistaking these burn marks for mold.
Mr. Celling expressed concerns with bathrooms flooding, the cleaning of the pet area and cleaning of the tent area at SOS. Keys to Change has an on-call vendor that visits the site when there is a clogging issue with the restrooms. When this occurs, the restroom that is affected is closed for maintenance and reopened when the issue has been resolved and the area cleaned up. The pet area synthetic turf is cleaned with disinfectants weekly. From March 10 to 12, staff conducted a large-scale cleaning of the tent area where all clients were required to move their tents so that staff could clean and disinfect the synthetic turf under the tents. Once cleaned and disinfected, new stripes were applied on the turf, re-designating 10x10 squares for each campsite.
Ms. Peterson expressed concerns about the food provided at SOS. She also expressed concerns with mice at SOS. The SOS clients receive three meals per day via a catering contract with St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP). SVdP also provides meal service to the Washington Shelter, Phoenix Navigation Center, North Mountain Healing Center and the Haven. Clients at the SOS are provided with the same meals as clients at the other indoor shelters. Each meal is required to have a vegetable, protein and carbohydrate. OHS met with SVdP on April 21 to discuss variety and portion size for all Phoenix-owned sites. The organization provides a two-week rotation of meals for their breakfast, lunch, and dinner and will ensure they are doing quality control with portion sizing. SOS has pest control once per week to address mice. Food consumption is restricted to the indoor dining room, however there are pets and nonperishable client food in the tent area which does create an environment conducive to pests. Staff will continue to address this issue with pest control and client education on items that are contributing to this issue.
Mr. Tanner expressed concerns with being taken to SOS involuntarily. Staying at the SOS is completely voluntary. If an individual is engaging with an outreach worker and they accept placement in the SOS, the outreach worker will transport them and their belongings immediately. Storage containers are available to store belongings if an individual has excess items of what can be stored in a tent.
OHS is committed to working with the community, service providers and partners to best serve clients at all our shelter sites and will continue to make improvements where necessary to ensure we are creating a safe and sanitary environment.
Location
Safe Outdoor Space, 1537 W. Jackson Street
Council Districts: 7 and Citywide
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Gina Montes and the Office of Homeless Solutions.