Construction is still underway at a large new homeless shelter in west Phoenix. But city officials this month began offering some beds there to unhoused people. The soft launch of the site comes in an effort to get more people off the street during dangerous summer heat.
“We’re really happy to open, even to this half-capacity, to get these much-needed beds online in the hottest part of the summer,” said Rachel Milne, director of Phoenix’s Office of Homeless Solutions.
Since mid-July, about 65 beds have opened in a temporary building and two converted shipping containers on the site on 71st Avenue, Milne said. About 75 more beds will become available in coming weeks.
Meanwhile, Milne said, construction is continuing on the permanent buildings that will be on the seven-acre site. When it’s fully open, the shelter will have capacity for about 280 people, but the city has not announced a timeline for completing construction.
Maricopa County is investigating more than 400 possible heat-related deaths so far this summer. 37 heat deaths have been confirmed. In past years, unhoused people have made up a significant share of the county’s heat deaths.
But amid this summer’s relentless triple-digit temperatures, homeless shelters across the region are full. Milne said the city has seen huge demand for new shelter space.
“We have a capacity issue in our shelter system, certainly. And as we open new beds, that capacity is filled immediately,” Milne said.
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New Deal Meal serves dozens of people each week and offers clothes, blankets, pet food and reusable containers for attendees to take additional meals. The club has faced weekly opposition from Tempe, including a misdemeanor citation for the group’s founder, Ron Tapscott, on Jan. 26.
