PHOENIX — Cleanup of "The Zone" in downtown Phoenix officially begins Wednesday.
"The Zone" is a seven-block-long, five-block-wide homeless encampment located just west of the downtown area. As many as 1,000 people live there at any one time.
May 10 is the first day of the City of Phoenix’s coordinated plan to close off the area block by block.
A spokesperson for the city addressed the process of the clean-up Wednesday morning:
The number of people who live in the homeless encampment just west of downtown Phoenix already appears to have declined significantly following an order by a judge earlier this year to remove the encampment.
In March, Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ordered the City of Phoenix to remove the encampment and enforce city and state laws against public camping, pollution, drug abuse, and violence.
Officials with the city's Office of Homeless Solutions previously said it had been doing outreach in the area, offering services to help the homeless get off the streets in advance of Wednesday.
A Superior Court judge has given the city until July 10 to clean up "The Zone." Phoenix intends to file an appeal asking for more time.
