Third block of 'The Zone' is cleared without incident; hundreds remain in homeless camp

The third block of Phoenix's largest homeless encampment, known as "The Zone," was cleared without incident on Wednesday morning.

The cleanup occurred on Madison Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues on the outskirts of the encampment, less than half a mile from Phoenix Police Department headquarters.

The area was home to fewer people than the two previously cleared blocks. Of the 17 people city staff engaged with before and during the cleanup, 12 accepted shelter or other services, city spokesperson Kristin Couturier said.

The endeavor, which started about 7 a.m., was quick and streamlined. By 10:30 a.m., the block's inhabitants were gone, the street was clear of debris and city trucks moved in to sanitize the pavement.

Phoenix began clearing out The Zone block by block after a court order in a lawsuit, Brown v. City of Phoenix, required it to shut down the encampment. The plaintiffs in that lawsuit are nearby business and property owners who allege the encampment is a public nuisance that has subjected them to violence and damaged their properties.

The city must show it has made significant progress on clearing the encampment by July 10, when a trial in that lawsuit is scheduled. But Scott Hall, deputy director of Phoenix's Office of Homeless Solutions, said the city does not plan to clear the entire area by then.

"We want people to have choices and be able to pick where they want to go. So we're going to continue to go at the pace we're going now," Hall said.

Over 900 people remained in The Zone as of Tuesday — an increase of about 100 people over last week — according to Steve Carr, a spokesperson for the Human Services Campus, which sits at the center of The Zone and is home to over a dozen nonprofits that serve people experiencing homelessness.

After the cleanup: After Phoenix's first 'Zone' homeless encampment cleanup, where did people go?

Juliette Rihl covers housing insecurity and homelessness for The Arizona Republic. She can be reached at jrihl@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @julietterihl.

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: Third block of 'The Zone' is cleared without incident