City leaders give update on homelessness in Tucson, community members say some tactics aren't working

TUCSON, Arizona (13 News) – It's a common question among community members and city leaders: What is an effective solution to solve the problem of homelessness and get more people into housing?

“I wish I had the solutions,” said community member Stefanie Gershon. “I wish I knew what could be done.”

The City Council and Mayor met for their study session on August 6. At the meeting, officials provided an update on the current state of homelessness in the city of Tucson.

One significant change is that the number of homeless people has slowly declined since the beginning of the year – from 1,501 to just under 1,300.

Liz Morales, deputy city manager for the city of Tucson, says the city has been working to combat homelessness for years.

From April to June of this year, 289 people were placed in emergency shelters, 90 of whom were placed in permanent housing through Housing First. Morales knows that number may not be as high as the community would like.

“People measure success differently,” Morales said. “We want to help as many people as possible, but as the mayor said yesterday, the need is not yet as great as the opportunities to reach people.”

The city has placed encampment assessors in each Tucson Police Department (TPD) operational division to expedite site assessments, reducing the timeline from two weeks to two business days. Over the past 18 months, 761 level three sites have been cleared based on the safety of the people living there and the surrounding neighborhoods.

However, according to Gershon, this only makes the situation of the homeless worse.

“It's the fear that someone can just come and destroy your sleeping space and take your things and you have no place to put them.”

At least 72 hours before a camp is cleared, notice is given and offers of help are made. However, Morales says that it is difficult for those affected to accept help due to personal crises such as addiction.

Both Morales and Gershon addressed an overlap: everyone must participate and offer what they can.

“Look at the nonprofit community, you can even look at our Housing First program,” Morales said. “How can people get involved to help spread the message of how people can get this help.”

Organizations such as the Salvation Army of Tucson, Community Bridges and Sister Jose's Women Center are some of the groups the city partners with.

“The people who are having the hardest times in this life – the way they live says so much about the people in our community because we are all responsible for each other,” Gershon said.

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