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Tucson creates online tool to report homeless encampments

By: Perla Shaheen

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TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucsonans can find homeless encampments throughout the city: in parks, near businesses, or on the side of the street.

“People have their community in encampments,” said Liz Casey, a volunteer with Community Care Tucson.

Casey says encampments are a source of safety for the unhoused population.

“People choose to set up away from the sun, away from the rain during monsoons,” Casey said.

But these unsheltered groups raise concerns of theft, property destruction, and open-air drug use. That’s why the city is launching an online tool for residents to report encampments. An outreach coordinator will visit the reported sites and categorize them into one of three tiers.

“Before we didn’t have a way to evaluate the encampment," said Mari Vasquez, Tucson’s homeless protocol coordinator. "It was just, some of them were taken down.”

The first tier is a site without occupants that needs to be cleaned up by Environmental Services. The second tier is a site with occupants that don't pose a health or safety risk. The city will send outreach teams to offer housing and social services to these occupants, and to clean up the area. Third tier encampments are considered a ‘significant’ health and safety risk, and Tucson Police will help relocate occupants within 72 hours.

“We’re very open to working with non-profits and seeing if there’s a way to expand the services that we can offer them,” Vasquez said.

Tucson's Housing Department estimates there’s been almost a 50% reduction in available shelter beds since 2019. Homeless advocates say occupants denied shelter will just end up back on the street.

“We just don’t know how many people are going to receive housing and services, and how many people are going to be displaced.”

The online reporting tool will be on the city's website and open to the public starting October 27th.

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