Only 1 block of 'The Zone' homeless camp remains, leaving those who remain with few options

Phoenix officials are days away from the complete elimination of what was the city’s largest homeless encampment, known as “The Zone.”

On Monday, the city cleared the second-to-last block of an encampment once home to around 1,000 people, and its request to delay a court-ordered deadline to remove people and tents from the area was denied by an Arizona Court of Appeals. A Nov. 4 deadline to clear The Zone was set by a judge about six weeks ago in a public nuisance lawsuit filed by residents and business owners.

But as police start enforcing camping bans, it is unclear where some residents will go next.

Laura Settergren and Joel Gonzalez have had to move four times since they started living in The Zone. Each time, they said, they decide what’s important to take with them and what to leave behind. They've lost many possessions as a result, they said. The couple said the stress of constantly relocating has affected them significantly. Phoenix has been clearing people off blocks of The Zone since May as a result of the public nuisance lawsuit.

“I’m tired of starting over,” Gonzalez said.

Settergren and Gonzalez said they’re familiar faces in The Zone. Gonzalez, also known as “Longboard Shadow,” cruises around the neighborhood each day on a string of skateboards connected end to end. Most are donated by others living in the encampment, he said.

“These are my people,” Gonzalez said.

The couple said they’re wary to leave the area when so many of the services they rely on — food, clothing and medical care — can be found at the Human Services Campus, a group of nonprofits housed at the center of The Zone. On Monday, the two decided to move to what was left of The Zone, a short stretch of street that the city plans to clear by Wednesday.

Of the 54 people officials interacted with on Monday, 45 accepted shelter, according to Phoenix Office of Homeless Solutions spokesperson Kristin Couturier. Most commonly, people living in The Zone are offered beds at congregate shelters such as St. Vincent de Paul’s Washington Street shelter and Central Arizona Shelter Services. Others on Monday were offered spaces at the nearby Respiro structure and the converted Rio Fresco Hotel.

Phoenix officials have said the city has opened about 300 new shelter beds this month, mostly hotel rooms made available through local partnerships. Hotel beds primarily go toward people already living in congregate shelters, Couturier said.

Jessica Berg, St. Vincent de Paul's chief program officer, said expansion at the Washington Street Shelter has allowed the shelter to take more people, and further expansion is planned. The shelter accepts pets but does not have double beds for couples.

CASS did not respond to questions about their occupancy by the time of publication.

City officials have said around 80% of people they have interacted with have accepted shelter since the clearings began. Some people do not want to relocate to congregate shelters, citing potential restrictions that could bar staying with pets or a partner.

Many of those people have moved to different areas of The Zone as a result. More than a dozen people camping near Ninth Avenue and Jackson Street, which used to be part of The Zone, were told on Monday to move by Phoenix police officers, citing signs saying the area was already closed to urban camping.

By Wednesday, these signs will be posted all across The Zone. Sgt. Rob Scherer, a Phoenix Police Department spokesperson, said officers will offer services to people camping in the area. If declined, he said, an officer could issue a citation or make an arrest.

On Monday, Queen Blount was sitting in a chair just moved from the block of 11th Avenue where she once lived. Blount was offered a congregate shelter bed but was cautioned she may not be able to stay with her dog and partner, she said. She opted instead to move to the last remaining block but wonders where she could move to after Wednesday.

“I don't know,” she said. “And that scares me.”

Republic reporter Miguel Torres contributed to this article.

Helen Rummel covers housing insecurity and homelessness for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at hrummel@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @helenrummel.

Coverage of housing insecurity on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Only 1 block of 'The Zone' remains as Phoenix continues clearing camp