Arizona bill aims to end city-funded hotel stays for homeless people
The Brief
HB 2803 aims to stop cities from paying hotels to house homeless people in Arizona.
Homeless advocates say this program, however, helps people get back on their feet before being homeless and the stressors that come with it completely overtake their lives.
PHOENIX - A new Arizona bill would force hotels to warn customers that it's housing homeless people.
Not only that, but the bill would stop cities from paying hotels to temporarily provide shelter.
What we know
HB 2803 was introduced by Rep. Matt Gress. He says these services haven't worked in San Francisco or Los Angeles, and he doesn't want them imported here.
The Independent 47 hotel on Pima Road used to save a couple of rooms for homeless senior citizens and families at the expense of Scottsdale taxpayers.
But, residents complained and Rep. Gress decided the program, statewide, should be ended all together.
"Again, it's warehousing people, and it's this vicious circle of moving people throughout the social services system, and not getting the real healing that they need," he explained.
He's tried a statewide ban before, but this legislative session, the House and Senate are on board with HB 2803.
The bill would stop these city and state-funded programs, and also force hotels that do take in the homeless to post signs and warnings on their websites that homeless people are housed inside, and to lock their doors and safely store their belongings.
The other side
"I think that there is a general notion with this bill, that being homeless somehow makes you more dangerous. But if I am a woman with kids, seniors, veterans, youth who are on their own, these are the sorts of places that create safety, when suitable beds aren't available," Nicole Newhouse, executive director of the Arizona Housing Coalition.
The Arizona Housing Coalition points to rural areas, like Cochise County, that only have one shelter. Or Mesa, which currently pays the Windemere Hotel to provide rooms for the unsheltered, successfully helping people get back on their feet.
Big picture view
"The reason why it doesn't work is because you can't control the facility. You have to have command and control over the entire facility, who comes in and who comes out. Otherwise, you're going to see drugs pass in and out very easily. You're also going to put the general public, patrons who are not part of the homelessness program, at risk," Rep. Gress said.
He says the state should be investing in emergency and transitional shelters where people can be supervised, treated and tracked.
Homeless advocates stress there's an entire segment of the homeless population who will be hurt if Rep. Gress' bill became law.
"It's not necessarily the people that immediately come to mind when you think homeless. Most people do not enter homelessness looking like that archetype. They start at a place, and it's a place that they are seeking help, and they don't get it. So, hotels are places where we can prevent that, at least temporarily, until we can connect people to more suitable shelter and the support they need to build their lives to a place where they can thrive on their own," Newhouse said.
What's next
Rep. Gress attempted to pass this bill last year, but it failed. While he has the backing of both the House and Senate this time, he's expecting Governor Katie Hobbs to veto it.
He says he'll keep trying because this issue of the homeless and how to help them isn't ending anytime soon.
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