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Homelessness in America: Phoenix's Tent City Expands To Nearly 1,000 As Housing Affordability Crisis Worsens
Nation and State ^ | 03/12/2022 | Tyler Durden

Posted on 03/12/2022 7:49:05 PM PST by SeekAndFind

A massive homeless encampment in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, known as the "Zone," raises eyebrows as the shelter's population swells to more than 900 people.

The Zone is located on 9th Avenue, Jackson Street, 13th Avenue, and Jefferson Street in Phoenix, down the street from the Arizona State Capitol complex.

Vice News points out, "the camp more than doubling in size over two years may be a testament to how bad Phoenix's housing crisis has become."

"People say, 'Are you surprised?' And I say, 'No, not really, because all of the housing forces in Phoenix and Maricopa County have been working against us for years,'" said Human Services Campus Executive Director Amy Schwabenlender, who works in the Zone.

"We've had ongoing population increases in Phoenix and Maricopa County. We haven't had housing production at all income levels keep up and meet that increase in population," Schwabenlender said.

According to Schwabenlender, the tent city had a population of 200 people last summer. By the end of 2021, the population climbed to 500, then 700, and in the last three weeks, the number jumped to 900 unsheltered people. The rapid increase coincides with a massive boom in Arizona's residential real estate market, where rents and housing prices skyrocketed during the virus pandemic, thanks to rock bottom interest rates and low inventory.

Phoenix home prices up 32.5% Y/Y in Dec. pic.twitter.com/jdOwlLgVkw — zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 22, 2022

Home prices in the metro area have soared above 2008 levels.

"With rising rents and lack of affordable housing—which was a crisis a few years ago and still is—we're going to continue to see rises in homelessness," the shelter's CEO Lisa Glow said.

It's not clear how everyone living at the downtown Phoenix encampment got there. But data is expected to show a rise in first-time homelessness in Maricopa County over the pandemic, according to Glow. More people becoming homeless for the first time could be indicative of greater housing affordability issues in the county, rather than showing that the same people are cycling in and out of shelters and camps. - Vice

The growing number of unsheltered people in the Zone' Bidenville' is the second-largest encampment in the US. The first is Skid Row in the Downtown liberal paradise of Los Angeles, with an approximate stable population of around 4,200 to 8,000. Some people in skid row live like kings (read: here).


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Arizona
KEYWORDS: arizona; homeless; housing; phoenix; realty; tentcity
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1 posted on 03/12/2022 7:49:05 PM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Has nothing to do with illegal aliens displacing American workers.


2 posted on 03/12/2022 7:51:26 PM PST by Telepathic Intruder (Democracy is two dead Democrats and a Republican voting who's brains are for dinner.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I’ve seen the homeless camps in Phoenix expand explanationally with my own damned eyes. It is horrible. If you get your information from the corporate media then you have no idea what is going on.

Since I live in Phoenix, tomorrow I will document the problem and post it to this goddamn forum. After all I’ve been shit can for not taking the deadly vaccinations and I have plenty of time.


3 posted on 03/12/2022 7:56:18 PM PST by wildcard_redneck (Welcome to leftist Planet Lab Cage where are YOU are the rat)
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To: SeekAndFind

Bus tickets to LA?


4 posted on 03/12/2022 7:56:59 PM PST by Paladin2 (She's retarted, Jim.)
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To: wildcard_redneck

Ariz. has rednecks?


5 posted on 03/12/2022 7:57:58 PM PST by Paladin2 (She's retarted, Jim.)
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To: Paladin2
"Ariz. has rednecks?"

Yea it does because I came to the "big city" and took all the good contracts from the over-indoctrinated f**ktard's. You are on the wrong side Paladin2 and history will judge you - harshly...

6 posted on 03/12/2022 8:02:52 PM PST by wildcard_redneck (Welcome to leftist Planet Lab Cage where are YOU are the rat)
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To: SeekAndFind

People might want to place some cardboard down to reserve a spot.


7 posted on 03/12/2022 8:03:13 PM PST by Berlin_Freeper
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To: SeekAndFind

In the 1950s comrade Nikita began to mass build Khrushchyovka across the Soviet Union to address the post-war need for housing. Something like 50 million people still live in them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khrushchyovka


8 posted on 03/12/2022 8:10:06 PM PST by LouieFisk
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To: SeekAndFind
--- "Phoenix's Tent City Expands To Nearly 1,000 As Housing Affordability Crisis Worsens"

The two issues are not connected per se/ Phoenix has a population of about 1,608,139. This tent city is 0.06 % of the population. That the political will from Mayor Gallego (D) to address this problem is not there is that issue.

The Arizona State Hospital, under the Arizona Department of Health Services, is right there in Phoenix. And....

At least Biden/Harris have secured the border with Mexico, so that the drug and human trafficking are being addressed.... /s As to affordability. inflation is driving up all costs, including housing. And not just for the tent city folks. To imply those living in tent cities could "afford" other housing is to confuse the issues. Drugs and mental illness don't make for rent and mortgage payments.

9 posted on 03/12/2022 8:15:36 PM PST by Worldtraveler once upon a time
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To: Worldtraveler once upon a time

FOAD newbie. You can take your pro-Biden propaganda and shove off!


10 posted on 03/12/2022 8:20:01 PM PST by wildcard_redneck (Welcome to leftist Planet Lab Cage where are YOU are the rat)
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To: SeekAndFind

Time to run some Mexican nationals back across the border where they belong.


11 posted on 03/12/2022 8:20:28 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Don't blame me, I voted for President Trump. Let's Go Brandon! FJB!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Are they still going to be there when summer arrives?


12 posted on 03/12/2022 8:24:46 PM PST by Night Hides Not (Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! Remember Gonzales! Come and Take It!)
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To: SeekAndFind

They will all disappear within the next 60 days.

Nobody has to do anything.

A tent is no protection against 119 deg, and it’ll kill you dead. ESPECIALLY if you drink alcohol in such weather.


13 posted on 03/12/2022 8:25:49 PM PST by Mariner (War criminal #18)
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To: SeekAndFind

Government…….Please keep letting Blackrock and other hedge filunds, equity management groups and foreign investors snatch up every available house so they can turn the country into one gigantor rental property.

I worked with a guy that was a real estate broker as a side hustle. Wall St snatching up house started after the 2008 crash. Almost like it was a plan. I don’t know.


14 posted on 03/12/2022 8:26:35 PM PST by qaz123
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To: wildcard_redneck

See post #13


15 posted on 03/12/2022 8:28:38 PM PST by Mariner (War criminal #18)
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To: SeekAndFind

Yeah, it’s a housing problem.
All those “unsheltered” could afford it when houses were $250k, but not $300k.


16 posted on 03/12/2022 8:30:49 PM PST by Do_Tar (Do I really need a /sarc?)
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To: SeekAndFind

I think they should all set up shop right on the capitol mall complex, all around the state capitol building.

Just surround the capitol with their current policy results.


17 posted on 03/12/2022 8:31:21 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: Worldtraveler once upon a time

But the same liberals that are driving up inflation are the ones that made sure folks couldn’t be committed.

Giuliani and Bratton cleaned up NYC by committing the mentally ill and getting rid of the squeegee man. Liberals went after him. They got the forced committals banned, city went to hell again


18 posted on 03/12/2022 8:31:37 PM PST by qaz123
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To: Mariner

Exactly!
They will be gone in 60 days and won’t be back till October


19 posted on 03/12/2022 9:07:07 PM PST by Zathras
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To: SeekAndFind

Housing is crazy here and rents are insane...
My daughter is paying $1200 a month for your basic 1 bedroom apartment


20 posted on 03/12/2022 9:27:58 PM PST by AzNASCARfan
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