Arizona State Representative Matt Gress (R-Scottsdale) announced Wednesday that the Arizona Department of Housing will not enforce a provision in its contract with the City of Scottsdale that allows the city to pay for hotels for homeless people.
Scottsdale tried to utilize state funds to pay a hotel along Pima and Indian Bend Roads to house homeless persons from “the zone” in downtown Phoenix and foreign nationals who would have otherwise been kicked out under Title 42, which President Joe Biden allowed to expire in May.
“The Zone” is the largest homeless encampment in Arizona.
At its June 27th meeting, the Scottsdale City Council voted 6-1 to accept an over $940,000 state grant from the Department of Housing to carry out the contract terms.
Following the city’s acceptance of the grant, Gress sent a letter to the Mayor of Scottsdale David Ortega, requesting additional information on the program and a reply from Ortega by July 27th.
In his letter, Gress said constituents were not adequately consulted over the program and warned that the hotel is “near the largest homeowner’s association in the United States, a school, and other neighborhood amenities that cater to children.” Gress also stressed concern that the grant agreement waives environmental review processes required for normal federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) housing.
Gress said that the Department of Housing replied to his request for answers and admitted that despite the terms of the contract, they do not intend to enforce the “Zone” or the “Title 42” provisions of its contract with the city.
According to Gress, this is a victory for the safety and well-being of the residents of Scottsdale.
“This is a victory for the safety and well-being of Scottsdale’s residents, many of whom staunchly oppose their tax dollars being spent to house homeless from other cities and foreign nationals who should have been deported under Title 42. This is an important step in the right direction. We need real treatment options for unhoused individuals, not temporary shelters converted from hotel rooms,” Gress said.
Gress continued by saying he still has serious concerns about the program and intends to pursue the matter further.
“I maintain serious concerns regarding the city’s intentions to utilize area hotels for this purpose and intend to pursue this matter further. Soon I will announce details of a public subcommittee hearing where I plan to delve more deeply into the problematic approach of converting hotels to housing for homeless,” Gress said.
The Arizona Sun Times reached out to Gress for additional comment but did not receive a reply before press time.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Matt Gress” by AZfair. CC BY-SA 4.0.
