Continuing coverage: The Zone
The Maricopa County Superior Court’s east building stands on a corner in downtown Phoenix, just under a mile away from where the homeless encampment known as "The Zone" once lined several blocks. Local business owners had sued the city, claiming that the encampment produced health and safety concerns that added up to a nuisance the city was responsible for managing. The judge ultimately agreed, ruling that the tents and other structures made of spare particle board, blankets and tarps must come down – and the people living in them had to move somewhere else.
From before the judge’s first order to clear the area to the aftermath of street cleaners scrubbing the asphalt on the final block, KJZZ has provided listeners with regular, in-depth coverage of The Zone’s disappearance. This entry showcases dozens of stories about The Zone that KJZZ produced in 2023, featuring on-the-ground reporting centers the voices of decision-makers and those most impacted by them.
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Most people don’t think of Phoenix and think about freezing temperatures. But, winter in the desert can get cold — especially at night. And when it does, the growing community of people living on the street has to find ways to stay warm.→ Hear more interviews from The Show -
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has given the city until July 10 to start disbanding “The Zone,” a homeless encampment spanning several blocks west of downtown. One woman living in a shelter nearby says she hopes that when city officials decide what’s next, they’ll remember the humanity of those living in "The Zone."→ More Arizona housing stories -
In March, local businesses won a lawsuit against Phoenix over what they say are health and safety concerns in and around the city’s biggest homeless encampment, known as “The Zone.” Concerns around crime are also shared by those living in it. -
Phoenix is making progress in complying with a court order to close a large homeless encampment known as “The Zone,” but it will take more time to clear, clean and keep people from setting up tents again in the area, a lawyer representing the city said at a trial Monday. -
The city of Phoenix will go to court Monday to prove it has met a deadline to clear a large homeless encampment, an action that has drawn pushback from civil rights advocates.→ More Arizona housing stories -
It’s been almost a year since business owners near the largest homeless encampment in Phoenix sued the city. Both parties are in court this week, and the business owners are saying the city isn’t moving fast enough to remove the encampment.→ More Arizona housing stories -
Summer cooling stations are an essential resource for many Valley residents. With Arizona in the midst of one of its most intense heat waves ever, they’ve taken on even greater importance. -
ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division is partnering with the Homeless ID Project to make it easier for people experiencing homelessness to get state-issued IDs. -
The lawsuit against the city of Phoenix to disband its largest homeless encampment, known as "The Zone," is still ongoing. As the city cleared another block late last week, local activists gathered outside the barriers set up around it. -
The Show spoke with Joe Faillace about being a business owner near "The Zone." He’s run Old Station Sub Shop on the corner of 13th Avenue and Jefferson Street with his wife, Debbie, for the last 40 years. -
“The Zone” will be cleaned up, closed off block by block, and each resident will be offered services and a place to go. This plan is an extension of efforts the city already has in place and is set to be executed among learning that the homeless population in Maricopa County has only gone up. -
Earlier this month, the City of Phoenix cleared the last blocks of what used to be its largest homeless encampment near downtown, known as the ‘Zone.’
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Two events — at Phoenix’s King of Glory Lutheran Church and the Desert Botanical Garden — marked the winter solstice by honoring at least 732 people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County who died in 2023. -
A lot has changed since the Human Services Campus began helping people experiencing homelessness in downtown Phoenix almost two decades ago. Starting next year, another change is coming – this time, to its name. But what’s in a name? Turns out, a lot of thought and strategy went into the new moniker.
