PHOENIX — The City of Phoenix released a statement on Friday saying it is on pace to meet a Maricopa County Superior Court-ordered deadline to remove all tents and makeshift shelters from the city's largest homeless encampment near the state capitol by Nov. 4.
The City said that it has already cleared 12 blocks of the encampment, known as "The Zone," and intends to clear three more by the deadline.
In the statement, a city spokesperson said that it will meet the deadline by opening additional shelter options, including hotel shelters and a "Safe Outdoor Space."
Freddy Brown, who is the president of PBF Manufacturing on Jefferson Street and 12th Avenue, said the latest clean-up done by the city happened right in front of his business.
"They've cleaned up the entire area pretty much," Brown said.
Before, dozens of tents could be seen right in front of his shop. On Friday, all of them except for one were gone.
At first, Brown said he didn't believe it could be done. But seeing the progress that has been made, he now believes the City will reach the deadline.
"It kind of lightens my mood a little bit, " Brown said. "I'm hoping that it reduces the foot traffic that is always in the streets and since we don't have the tents blocking the sidewalks, that people can be more safe and walk on the sidewalks.”
This announcement came days after a federal court judge issued a ruling in a second lawsuit against the City, which granted the City more flexibility to enforce "camping or sleeping bans" against unsheltered people.
The federal judge had ruled last December that the City could not enforce the bans against people who were homeless if there were not enough shelter beds available.
As of this week, however, the federal judge amended the order stating, the City cannot enforce "the Camping and Sleeping Bans against involuntarily homeless persons for sleeping in public if there are no other public areas or appropriate shelters where those individuals can sleep."
The "public areas" represent the biggest change from the previous ruling and apparently gives the green light to the City to open its planned structured campground and move people there "in the coming weeks."
The City announced that it opened a 100-room hotel shelter in partnership with A New Leaf earlier this week and also intends to open a 60-room hotel shelter soon.
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