Council doubles down on homeless housing

Sep. 29—Less than a week after facing withering criticism for its "bridge" homeless program, Mayor David Ortega and Scottsdale City Council members doubled down.

On Sept. 13 at a Civic Center Library auditorium, a rowdy crowd joined Rep. Matt Gress in harshly criticizing Scottsdale's use of 10 Independence Hotel rooms as temporary shelters for homeless people.

But at the Sept. 19 council meeting, 10 people spoke, pleading with city officials to extend the bridge hotel program.

After only one person spoke out against the program, Council voted 6-1 to continue the Independence Hotel program to the tune of $500,000 over the next year. Councilman Barry Graham cast the lone vote against it.

Then, nearing the end of a marathon, five-hour meeting, Council authorized a $16 million project to add 28 affordable housing units — with six apartments for the bridge program — to the Paiute Neighborhood Center, which currently provides family services and other day programs in south Scottsdale.

Graham and Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield voted against the housing project.

Littlefield said mixing the housing project with a voter-approved bond to renovate the Paiute Center "would be to my mind inappropriate and possibly illegal."

She insisted adding affordable housing should be decided by voters.

Graham grilled Greg Bestgen, the city's Human Services director, on details of a program Bestgen stressed would mainly serve Scottsdale seniors and low-income families.

Ortega and several council members enthusiastically supported the Paiute housing project.

"This goes right along with everything we said we want to do as a city," Councilwoman Tammy Caputi said. "This council set aside a decent chunk of money that we could use as a priority...we specified we want to use it as affordable housing and to help the homeless problem."

Without naming Littlefield, Councilwoman Solange Whitehead attacked her "inappropriate and possibly illegal" concern: "Our city staff does not commit fraud."

Councilman Tom Durham echoed, "You can distinguish between the bond funds and the homeless funds.

"The notion that we're gonna be mixing this money together — it's just crazy. This is right up our alley."