Members of a Phoenix-based homelessness nonprofit lambasted a new city of Phoenix ordinance that will further restrict where people experiencing homelessness can camp.
City council approved the new ordinance 8-0 last week. The ban restricts camping within 500 feet of schools, child care centers or homeless shelters. It will go into effect Sunday, Sept. 1.
That delay is in part because police and city staff need to be trained on procedures regarding the new law but also because the legal landscape around homelessness is “in flux,” said City Attorney Julie Kreigh, with the U.S. Supreme Court currently hearing a case regarding camping bans that could impact this new Phoenix law.
