Much has been made about homelessness in Scottsdale; it was a central platform piece of several people running for City Council and became a talking point of several state legislators. And while the extent of the issue within the city was overstated, the fear that it could spread was an effective one, as shown by the success of the candidates … Read More
Homeless Hotel No More: What Recent Closure Says About the City’s Future
Homelessness was a significant local issue in the last election, and even though there is far less of it than most other cities in America, some of the more conservative candidates used it very deftly to their advantage. A centerpiece of that was Scottsdale’s “homeless hotel”, where an old hotel was used to house a couple handfuls of homeless women … Read More
Should Scottsdale Be Forced to Notify Hotel Guests if the Homeless are Staying There Too?
Under the administration of former Mayor Dave Ortega, Scottsdale started using a small amount of vacant hotel rooms to house the homeless. More specifically, it worked with the Arizona Department of Housing and used a bit under $1 million in state funds through its “Bridge Program’, designed to be transitional housing for those who needed some help for a temporary … Read More
Guest Editorial: Salute to An Unsung Hero
By Councilwoman Betty Janik After thirty years of service, Greg Bestgen, Human Services Director, recently retired from the City of Scottsdale. He is leaving behind a legacy of compassion toward the less fortunate. Greg changed the way our city interacts with individuals in need. During his tenure, he established a robust outreach program for the homeless. He paired with faith-based … Read More
Battle Lines are Being Drawn Over Homelessness in Scottsdale
Recently the city of Scottsdale took a more open and assistive approach to homelessness, taking advantage of a grant offer by opening its doors and helping house a number of them (read the full story here). While it was a move that would clearly be seen as empathetic and compassionate, it is not one that comes without potential ramifications, both … Read More
Compassion or an Invitation to Danger? Scottsdale Opens Its Doors to the Homeless
You could say many things about Scottsdale; you could say that it’s a great tourist destination, you could say that the weather is great, you could even say it’s snobby (although we tend to disagree). But one word that you rarely hear associated with Scottsdale is compassionate. Does that mean that Scottsdale is uncompassionate? Probably not, but simply more a … Read More
Phoenix and the Growing Pains of Grappling with Homelessness
Homelessness had never been a critical issue in Arizona as it grew its way into the destination it currently is until recently. A home price spike turned into a rental cost crisis, and as hard drug use rose across the country the result has been a mix of legitimately down-on-their-luck folks combined with those lost in the grips of addiction, … Read More
Homelessness in Scottsdale: How Bad Is It and What Can We Do?
Homelessness is an issue that has been evergreen around the country, in some areas worse than others. The pandemic has made this issue explode in various areas and has been felt rather acutely in Maricopa County, with an eye-popping 35% increase in people on the streets over the last two years. We would like to think that our beautiful city … Read More