This past spring, the city of Phoenix was court-ordered to clear out its largest homeless encampment, The Zone. The city’s Office of Homeless Solutions had to tackle the difficult, oftentimes painful and complicated issue of moving nearly 1,000 unhoused people, and their possessions, off the streets where some had been living for years.The area of The Zone that the city was responsible to clear took up roughly 15 city blocks from Seventh Avenue to 15th Avenue and Van Buren Street to Grant Street in downtown Phoenix. It was filled with tents, handmade shelters, platforms and tarps. The residents there included some who were 17, as well as younger children with their families, but the majority were 25 and older.In March, after several property owners and businesses near the encampment sued the city for safety and health concerns, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ruled that the city had to clear out the makeshift shelters and show proof of its efforts at a follow-up hearing on July 10. In a September ruling, Judge Blaney gave a deadline of Nov. 4 to have all 15 blocks cleared.Phoenix officials say the people encamped in The Zone were notified before city crews showed up to clear them out. The city received help from the Human Services Campus (HSC), a collaborative force of 16 partner organizations with a shared goal to end homelessness. The HSC says its people worked hard to …
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