One of U.S.’s Biggest Homeless Camps Set to be Cleared After Businesses Win Lawsuit

A sprawling homeless encampment in Phoenix, Arizona, known by locals as “The Zone,” is scheduled to be dismantled starting this week. 

A city shelter sits in the center of The Zone, housing around 900 people per night. The surrounding Zone area is home to between 600 and 1,000 people, according to the Arizona Republic, some of whom have lived there for years.

Nearby businesses and residents filed a lawsuit against the city in August, alleging that it “refuses to enforce criminal and quality-of-life laws prohibiting loitering, disturbing the peace, drunken and disorderly conduct, drug use, domestic violence” inside The Zone. 

The city was ordered to clear the area by a judge, who called it a "public nuisance." A bench trial is scheduled for July, when the city must show the court that it has taken steps toward compliance with the order.

The Zone is located in downtown Phoenix, close to the state capitol buildings.

The plan is to clear the area one block at a time and cite or arrest those who return to an area that has been cleared, the Republic reported. People removed from the Zone will be relocated to indoor shelters, space permitting.