More than a year after Phoenix cleared 'The Zone,' homeless advocate says more shelters are needed

It’s been over a year since Phoenix complied with a court order and destroyed a downtown homeless encampment known as “The Zone."

Kat Pollard with The Bridge For Community Services says there’s still a lot that needs to be done to help Phoenix’s homeless population, but there’s been progress.

“What I have noticed is that I’m not seeing as many veterans and seniors down there, which is a big plus,” she said.

Pollard said there are also some charities that are refurbishing old hotels in order to provide housing.

”Hopefully that will take some of that pressure off of the human services campus, the CASS, and stuff like that,” she said. ”But they will be dispersed throughout the whole city.”

More shelter is critical for homeless people living in Phoenix. The city opens cooling centers during the summers where people are allowed access to shade and water away from the high temperatures.

According to Maricopa County’s Heat Reports, fewer people in the county died of heat exposure in 2024 than in 2023, but homeless people accounted for 47% of those deaths, up from 46%.

Pollard said she’s happy that the VA has opened more shelters recently as it increases its efforts to help homeless veterans - and she said the biggest thing these people need is shelter.

”There’s just a great need for shelters, for emergency shelters,” she said. “I would say more individual than family - we don’t see families as much as we see individuals.”