Phoenix could soon put much tighter restrictions on services for homeless individuals in public parks. During its meeting Wednesday, Phoenix City Council will consider amendments to a controversial ordinance first approved in December.
The ordinance was adopted with a delayed effective date — it is set to take effect June 5.
It allows first responders to provide care during emergencies in city parks. It also allows for heat relief activities and distribution of the opioid overdose reversal nasal spray, Naloxone in parks.
But the ordinance bans most other types of medical treatments in parks without a permit. And under changes proposed in the latest draft of the ordinance, humanitarian food distribution events would also be forbidden without city approval.
The draft proposes that the city should issue only two permits per month for medical care or food distribution events for each eligible park.
The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department says these types of events can create safety risks.
“In addition to providing services needed to vulnerable populations, these activities can also strain the parks and city resources, frequently creating large crowds, increased noise, obstruction of public spaces, litter, and the accumulation of trash, debris, and food waste. These activities can damage public property and limit others' ability to access, share, and enjoy the parks,” the draft ordinance states.
Violations of the ordinance would be a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by fines up to $2,500 and up to 180 days in jail.
Homeless service organizations fear the restrictions would make their work untenable.
“It certainly wouldn’t work for what we do,” said Kim Despres, CEO of Circle the City, an organization that provides medical care to homeless patients. “We would have to predict four months in advance what park we would go to, who would have the most sick people that day at that park, and we could only go to one.”
Despres said Circle the City’s mobile medical teams typically visit multiple public parks daily. She said that flexibility is important for finding unhoused people in need.
If outreach workers could no longer provide care in parks, Despres said people experiencing homelessness would instead be forced to seek help in emergency rooms, potentially overwhelming hospitals with unnecessary visits.
The original ordinance drew hours of heated public comments when the City Council first considered it in December.
During that meeting, the council voted 8-1 to approve the restrictions, but allowed time to make revisions to the ordinance based on community feedback.
City staff participated in 19 meetings with stakeholders between January and April and also sought public input through an online survey.
“Stakeholders included park users, neighborhood associations, community leaders, healthcare providers, harm reduction organizations, food distribution groups, and service recipients. Stakeholder feedback and direction from the City Council was utilized to draft the revised ordinance,” the City Council agenda states.
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