Mesa city council approves rezoning of hotel to address homeless issue
MESA, Ariz. - The Mesa City Council voted to approve a measure Monday night to turn a hotel into a transitional housing facility for those experiencing homelessness.
The move was approved in a 4-3 vote.
The city requested a zoning change to move its "Off the Streets" program to a permanent location at the Grand Hotel located off Power Road and Main Street.
Off The Streets is taking a unique approach to the homeless issue that Valley cities, along with other cities in the U.S., have been experiencing. Organizers say not everyone will thrive in a traditional shelter program, and that’s where this program comes in.
Now that the council approved the rezoning, they can take the final step to purchase the hotel and use it to support their temporary housing program for the homeless.
Residents in the area have pushed back due to safety concerns.
If the council did not approve, the city would have needed to find somewhere else to relocate its program and risk losing $1.75 million in federal funding.
At a meeting in May, the city council voted to purchase the hotel, but this vote would allow the city to actually buy and change the zoning on it, turning it from a hotel into a social service facility.
The city says the program focuses on families, domestic violence victims, and the elderly who get 90 days in transitional housing.
"We served almost 1,900 people so far and we have about 73-75% of those folks exiting the program successfully, which means that they’re going into the next positive place in their housing plan," said Lindsey Balinkie, community services deputy director for Mesa.
Neighbor opposition has been strong on making this project permanent in this location with residents calling for safety concerns. Some have drafted petitions.
"Well, I’ve done my best. I fought all along. I’ve been to every meeting that I could possibly attend," a resident in the area said.
Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury was the deciding vote.
"This is my district and these are my constituents and so it’s hard when they were upset about this coming in next to their neighborhood, as you can kind of understand," Spilsbury said.
The city says the program started in 2020 with federal COVID relief money using rooms at the Windemere Hotel. So far, it has a 74% success rate for almost 2,000 people.
Tiffany Williams is one of them.
"I had five teeth. I was 105 pounds and I just kept progressing forward," she said.
She says she was living in the woods and addicted to drugs. The program turned her life around.
"This place gave me a safe spot to lay my head while I can get better and heal myself. My life today is just absolutely beyond my wildest dreams. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them," Williams said about the program.
Spilsbury hopes those who were not in favor will eventually come around to the idea.
"I think in a year we’re going to look back, and they’re hopefully going to say, ‘Wow, this actually made our neighborhood better,’" she said.
The 80 units are expected to be renovated and ready within a year.
Mesa program takes different approach in trying to solve homelessness problem
A program in Mesa that takes a different approach in helping those who are homeless is proving to be a success.
City of Scottsdale defends hotel rooms to address the homeless crisis as residents push back
Hotels for the homeless – that’s the issue at the heart of a contentious public hearing in Scottsdale on Wednesday. The city's mayor says the program helps veterans and single-parent families.