By Matt Roy
Twitter: @AzNewsmedia

The Supreme Court Dec. 16 blocked state and local governments who sought to criminalize homelessness when the panel refused to consider an appeal to previous lower court rulings.  

Municipalities in western states — such as in Sacramento, California, and Boise, Idaho — had enacted laws making it illegal to camp out in public areas.

But the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2018 ruled such laws constituted “cruel and unusual punishment” for those living on the streets in areas, which do not have any other options for them.

Put simply, the 9th Circuit ruled laws against urban camping cannot be enforced unless shelter services are available locally.

Local enforcement

In Surprise, where city leaders in June 2018 also passed an ordinance making urban camping illegal, the Supreme Court decision won’t affect efforts to deal with homelessness there.

Since passage of the ordinance, city police have yet to make any arrests. Officers have instead focused on connecting those living outdoors with local resources, according to Sgt. Tim Klarkowski, a spokesman for the Surprise Police Department.

“Our ordinance remains in place. As of this time, we still have not had to issue a citation or make an arrest for urban camping,” Mr. Klarkowski stated. “We remain committed to providing assistance and service referrals to our community members who are experiencing homelessness. Enforcement has been and continues to be a last resort.”

He said the department has partnered with city officials and charity groups to get help for homeless people when it’s available.

“We have a variety of partners we work with to provide a wide range of services, to include temporary bed space. Unfortunately, not all resources are available at all times. So, we handle each contact on a case by case basis,” Mr. Klarkowski explained.

Seth Dyson, director of the Surprise Human Services & Community Vitality department, echoed Mr. Klarkowski, saying officials have been seeking solutions to prevent the homelessness crisis seen in other Western states in recent years.

“We look at places like California and Washington state and the sheer volume puts public safety and community health under a tremendous amount of pressure. We don’t have that problem, since we have fewer people experiencing homelessness,” Mr. Dyson said. “However, we want to get out in front of this as much as we can, because as our community grows, as our region grows, there may be situations where people are falling into homelessness and we want to catch them and prevent them having to get comfortable living outside. For me, I think it’s about improving all lives in the community.”

The homeless Point-in-Time Count conducted annually by the Maricopa County Association of Governments in conjunction with city and county first responders has revealed a steady increase in the number of homeless people across the Valley.

The total homeless count in January’s rose by 5% to 6,614 individuals this year as compared to those counted in 2018. But while the number of homeless people living in shelters declined by 7% year-over-year, the number living outdoors rose by 22%.

Most of the unsheltered population remains, as in previous years, in the downtown Phoenix area, where officials counted 2,030 individuals. The East Valley accounted for 736 and the West Valley had 422 counted among the homeless this year.

Though the numbers are tiny compared to those counted in Los Angeles, for instance, the pace of growth has some Valley leaders concerned.

In Surprise, where only a few years ago officials found no homeless individuals, the most recent count found more than 30 people living in public areas, such as parks, and in and along the Agua Fria riverbed.

The iHelp model

To help address the issue there, Surprise officials partnering with Lutheran Social Services who have after nearly two years of effort launched the iHelp shelter services program in the West Valley, according to Mr. Dyson.

“For the first time in our area’s history, we have shelter locally,” he said. “It’s up and running and going really smooth so far, but we still don’t have seven nights a week covered. We want this to be a seven-night program. We have five of the seven nights, so that’s still pretty good.”

The iHelp program has already been successfully implemented in Tempe, Chandler and Phoenix, among other communities.

The interfaith program employs partnerships of churches, charities and agencies to provide shelter along with a wrap-around service model aimed at finding permanent solutions to those in need, according Connie Phillips, president and CEO at LSS.

“We began sheltering in late October and usually have 8-10 people,” Ms. Phillips said. We have most nights covered, but still have one night a week and one weekend that we have not found congregations to shelter. The city of Surprise has provided space in their building on Bell for intake and case management. The response from our guests has been heartwarming, with their gratitude for those that are willing to assist.”

The program provides more than just shelter, focusing on helping those in need to help themselves, Mr. Dyson explained.

“It’s not really a homeless shelter program. It’s more a short-term program to help people improve their situation,” Mr. Dyson said. “As people self-select in, Lutheran Social Services does a triage and, if they’re a fit, they get in and get case management and our local churches have stepped up and, even though we need a few more churches, we’d love to have a few more.”

He said the program can accommodate up to 12 people per night and is already operating near maximum capacity, averaging around 10 people per night five nights per week, excluding Wednesday and Saturday.

But the program aims at long-term solutions, not just shelter, teaching future anglers rather than just distributing fish, he suggested.

“We don’t just let people stay in a place and then say, ‘Good luck to, ya,’” said Mr. Dyson. “We really want to help someone with a hand up, so every person gets a plan and they have to follow through with their own plan. Everyone’s journey is different.”

With federally funded contracts managed through the county along with other grant sources, funding for the West Valley’s first iHelp shelter program has been secured for the next three years.

That funding provides a dedicated case manager, who works individually with clients to devise a transition plan to get them back into sustainable work and housing, Mr. Dyson said.

The plan may include providing assistance with getting an ID and other needed documents while fostering connections to local and federal resources, as well as job-seeking and skills training to prepare participants for interviews and success at work.

“They have a case manager, a social worker, who checks in with them to make sure they’re following the plan,” said Mr. Dyson. “If folks are just looking to take advantage of having a mat to sleep on inside at night, but they’re not really doing anything to improve their situation, then they’re not going to be able to stay in the program very long. This is designed for those who want and need help, because maybe they are not able to navigate themselves.”

More help needed

Robert Sanders, director for emergency services at LSS, said the new iHelp program needs more churches and volunteers to join in.

“Our biggest need that we have is churches to host that are in the city of Surprise. We have churches in other surrounding cities, but we only have one here and it would be helpful if we had several other churches in the city of Surprise to host,” Mr. Sanders said.

Ideally, LSS would like to bolster the effort with another two or three additional congregations.

Apart from Surprise, churches in El Mirage and Sun City have joined the interfaith partnership so far, Mr. Sanders said.

While LSS could expand the program more broadly, they see the greatest current need in Surprise, where homeless individuals are living in riverbeds and on other vacant land in the community, he said.

“Right now, the primary need is Surprise,” Mr. Sanders added.

The group also seeks volunteers to assist with operations, such as at the Surprise Resource Center, where clients are screened to join the program, and also with providing meals at program sites.

“We always need volunteers to prepare meals,” Mr. Sanders. “At the resource center, volunteers help with intake and answer phones.”

The program provides training to volunteers who work at the center. And volunteers can participate with only a minimal time commitment, according to Mr. Sanders.  

“Volunteers can commit to five to 10 hours per week or they can do as little as three hours per week,” he said. “Cash donations are always appreciated and gift cards, bus cards and gas cards would always be appreciated.”

The gift cards are especially helpful for clients who need to buy new clothes for a job interview and the gas cards for those who may have a car, but need the fuel to get to appointments, he explained.

To learn more about iHelp and other volunteering opportunities, call the Surprise Resource Center at (623) 222-1600.