PHOENIX — Cave Creek Park is a fun neighborhood area with swings, slides and fun caves to climb on and crawl through. However, take a closer look and your opinion may change.
"It's in desperate need of TLC," said Mike, who only wanted to go by his first name.
Mike has lived in the neighborhood near 23rd Avenue and Cactus Road for 30 years and said the park used to be an area where families and young children would congregate.
"But they quit coming because there were so many homeless lying around," he said. "And there's needles all over the ground. There's defecation through the tunnels in the park, even in the sand. I mean, they'll just stand and urinate in front of the kids."
"This park used to be inundated with families. It was wonderful," said Laurie Davis.
Davis also lives near the park and said she used to walk the park twice a day.
"I stopped walking it by myself because I would get so frustrated seeing everything," she said. "The garbage, for one. Needles along the walk, you'd see them on the side and human feces as you walk along behind things and in the caves for sure."
Residents say the park began to change over the past few years and residents would give anything to get it back to what it once was.
"They would all come here on their bikes," said Mike. "It was a great spot, a great family place to meet. Now, you go by the restrooms and you can't get within 20-30 feet for your safety and because of the stench, it's disgusting."
It's gotten so bad that neighbors say the problem now isn't just contained to the park. Residents report thefts, break-ins and disruptions day and night.
"The homeless that have infiltrated through here wander through our neighborhood daily when they're not doing the damage at the park," Mike said.
12News reached out to the City and received a statement back saying:
"The City of Phoenix responded to a report submitted to PHX C.A.R.E.S. on April 12 from the neighborhood about Cave Creek Park and has been actively working to bring additional services to this area to help those who are unsheltered and find a resolution for the community. Since receiving the report, in the last 48 hours, the City has:
1. Conducted engagement and education about Park rules and hours with 25 individuals.
2. Conducted a cleanup on April 14, removing trash and debris from the entire Cave Creek Park system.
The City has developed a services-driven approach to addressing homelessness. Our PHX C.A.R.E.S. and Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS) teams coordinate with Community Bridges, Inc. (CBI) to connect people in need with the appropriate resources and services to help end their homelessness.
The City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department is dedicated to safe, clean and accessible parks. We inspect playgrounds regularly and we are actively working to keep our parks clean, replace and upgrade playground equipment, as well as remove graffiti.
Park rangers visit regularly to assess the park’s play structures and share community resources with residents.
The City appreciates residents reporting their concerns. If residents have concerns about encampments or unsheltered individuals contact PHX C.A.R.E.S. at 602-262-6251 or submit a report online.
People experiencing homelessness can contact 211 directly to be directed to additional services. If residents would like to help individuals experiencing homelessness, or volunteer with organizations who provide vital resources to those who are unsheltered, please consider making a donation through the Healthy Giving Council [givesmartaz.org]."
12News also spoke with Councilwoman Debra Stark. She said she's aware of the problems at Cave Creek Park and said, "I hear residents loud and clear and we're doing what we can to activate the park (add more activities) and we're looking at adding security at night."
Davis said she's called the city and law enforcement multiple times and officials have responded. The homeless will move, but after a few days, they come back.
Mike also said he's seen city officials constantly working around the clock to keep the area clean, but the problem continues to grow.
"Those poor guys from sun up to sun down seven days a week they are there," he said. "At least 2-3 park trucks roll nonstop through the park. They go all day cleaning up after these people."
Residents said if they could move, they would, but are hanging onto hope that it'll go back to the way it once was.
"We've lived here for 30 years," Mike said. "The thought of having to move because of trash, I just don't understand it. I was born here. This is Phoenix. I don't have an answer to cure the issue, but they should not be allowed to disrupt everybody's lives."
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