Phoenix's largest homeless encampment, 'The Zone,' is now gone

It was where she lived for more than a year, and now her home is gone.

On Wednesday morning, Jill Vinterella walked away from the last standing block of “The Zone,” Phoenix’s largest homeless encampment, as officials started to clear the street. She was saying she wasn’t sure where she was headed when a friend found her.

He hugged her, and they both started to cry.

The Zone is now fully cleared, three days ahead of the deadline set by a judge who declared the encampment a public nuisance. The tents and people are gone, leaving behind bare and quiet streets.

Feelings were raw during the final cleanup of The Zone, which took place on Jackson Street between 9th and 11th avenues. People who had lived there for years were hesitant to leave it behind. Belongings were packed into green trash bins provided by the city before people got in the back of cars to take them to shelter.

Phoenix Office of Homeless Solutions spokesperson Kristin Couturier said 125 people accepted shelter on Wednesday. She said 10 people refused services. The Arizona Republic spoke to nine people who said they declined services, and others appeared to walk away from the block without assistance. In previous engagements, the portion of people who declined services has been close to 20%.

Scott Hall, deputy director of the Office of Homeless Solutions, said shutting The Zone down has been an intense process for many of those involved, including the people who lived there and service providers who often have their own experiences with homelessness.

“It’s an emotional roller coaster,” Hall said during a Wednesday news conference.

Phoenix opened a structured campground a few blocks down the street during the final cleanup. Additional construction is needed for the facility, but it is already outfitted with security and shade. On Wednesday, five people went to the new facility on 15th Avenue, Couturier said.

On Wednesday, the public could not see much of what was happening on the last block of The Zone as it was being cleared. Streets were closed a block away from where officials were working, something not done in any previous cleanups, which have been taking place intermittently since May. Hall said this was to provide room for vehicles to turn around since the block was tucked behind a local nonprofit, Andre House.

While most people left the area voluntarily, some were removed from the block by security. A 32-year-old man with a felony warrant was arrested, police said.

Metal bollards and chains that were installed along sidewalks have been ripped out by city employees in recent weeks. A few people sitting in the shade to sleep were ordered to leave. Police car speakers told them the area was closed.

“You have to move,” police said. “We already told you.”

In the coming weeks, the city will have to monitor the area. Before the end of the month, Phoenix officials will have to appear in court and show they have kept the area clear of structures and debris.

Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari, who represents the district encompassing the area that was The Zone, declined an interview with The Republic Wednesday but said in a statement that she appreciated the nonprofit groups and city officials involved in the endeavor.

“Our work continues in full force as we expand both temporary lodging and permanent housing options with wraparound services for unhoused residents,” the statement said.

But some, like Vinterella, have not been satisfied with what officials have done to aid former residents of The Zone.

"Everything they offered me has flopped," she said.

After the sun set Wednesday, dozens of people walked the streets near the Human Services Campus, but now no tents were on the sidewalks. The campus is a collection of nonprofits serving people experiencing homelessness that pre-dates The Zone and came to be at its core.

Dana Page said the tent she pitched on Jackson Street was now in the trash. As night overtook Phoenix, she sat on the curb not far from where she lived, drinking Mountain Dew with friends. She was offered a bed in the St. Vincent de Paul Washington Street shelter but was afraid to go, she said.

She hadn't thought about where she would start sleeping, she said. That'll be something she worries about in the morning.

"Where is there to stay?" she wondered.

Helen Rummel covers housing insecurity and homelessness for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @helenrummel.

Coverage of housing insecurity on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix's largest homeless encampment, 'The Zone,' is now gone