Last week, the Scottsdale City Council voted to accept an Arizona Department of Housing grant of nearly a million dollars that is going to provide shelter and nutrition to Scottsdale's homeless. But the grant came with some strings.
"We have to serve folks from 'The Zone,'" Human Services Director Greg Bestgen said.
Currently, Scottsdale rents out 10 rooms in an undisclosed hotel to serve the estimated 120 unsheltered people it encounters yearly.
Three of those hotel rooms will be dedicated to residents of the Phoenix homeless encampment known as 'The Zone'. "We would serve specifically senior women, women with children and families," Bestgen said.
The grant and Scottsdale's acceptance of it immediately created controversy as some residents said they had no idea of the grant or its terms.
Scottsdale resident Jan Dubauskas attended the meeting when the grant was announced and said there was no public comment allowed.
"We want to be compassionate here in Scottsdale. We want to help our homeless. But I think we're concerned about what are the ramifications to Scottsdale when we bring in other communities homeless," Dubaukas said.
State Representative Matt Gress, whose district includes parts of Phoenix and Scottsdale, sent a letter to Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega wanting answers to how the program works.
Gress also wants information about safety, security, and what services are being offered. The lawmaker believes Scottsdale residents are entitled to know.
"To say you are not going to disclose many of the key details of this program publicly, I believe falls short of the responsibility we have as elected officials to represent and inform our constituents," Gress said.
Gress says he wants a reply from Scottsdale by July 28 and Mayor Ortega promises he will get one.
In a reply to Representative Gress, Ortega wrote, "at last count there are approximately 9,754 licensed hotel rooms within Scottsdale city limits. Your correspondence regarding ten hotel rooms will be answered in full by staff."
