Oct. 7—State Rep. Barbara Parker last week waded into the stormy debate surrounding Mesa's plan to use federal funds to buy an East Mesa hotel and use it as a shelter for homeless seniors, families and victims of domestic abuse.
Parker, whose northeast Mesa legislative district includes the hotel in question, issued a release calling Mesa's proposed $7.4 purchase "poorly conceived" and "misguided."
"The proposed acquisition of the Grand Hotel to house homeless individuals is a clear violation of the trust placed in our local government by our citizens and is a sad failure by councilmembers to listen to the voices of their constituents," the release stated.
"These property owners in Mesa have voiced their legitimate concerns over neighborhood safety, property values, the use of taxpayer funds, and the role of government in addressing homelessness."
Parker's statement says Mesa's Off the Streets program isn't addressing the root causes of homelessness and is adopting "housing first" strategies that haven't worked elsewhere.
"This action mirrors the failed policies of larger cities like Phoenix and Tucson, policies that have only exacerbated the problems they aimed to solve," Parker's release states.
Parker's salvo comes as City Council is preparing for a final vote on whether to move forward with the deal.
A permit to allow social services on the Grand Hotel property — a condition of Mesa's purchase agreement with the property owner — is tentatively scheduled for introduction Oct. 16 with a potential vote on Nov. 6.
Asked for comment on Parker's criticism, the city issued a statement:
"Our community expects the City to respond to homelessness and its growth in a manner that is fair and equitable, fiscally responsible to taxpayers and that instead of a 'hand out,' it provides a path to economic and housing stability.
"Mesa has a strategic plan that addresses homelessness in many different ways — from understanding the root causes of homelessness and addressing the community's needs to continuously assessing local and regional resources available.
"During its more than three years of service, Off the Streets has become a crucial resource to help stabilize families in crisis before moving them forward to other existing housing services based on their unique needs.
"In addition to the hotel purchase proposal, the City is committed to uplifting the surrounding neighborhood by being a very good neighbor."
It also cited "good neighbor practices" that include round-the-clock on-campus police coverage, the scope of tenants, a campus upgrade and street and street lighting improvements where needed.
"The City believes the neighborhood and the campus can co-exist in a way that meets safety and service needs," the statement added.
"Without solutions like Off the Streets and other similar programs across the valley, homelessness will continue to grow beyond our local government's ability to respond without incurring significant costs and unnecessarily burdening our police and fire resources," the city said, noting the money comprises pandemic relief money.
The proposed purchase has garnered significant resistance from the neighborhoods close to the hotel.
One neighborhood group is seeking to collect the signatures of 20% of property owners adjacent to the site for a legal protest, requiring a supermajority vote to approve it.
Earlier this month, the Planning and Zoning Committee voted 5-1 to recommend council approval.
"I will always listen to the concerns of my constituents and fight to ensure their safety and prosperity," Parker's statement said. "It's time the Mesa City Council does the same and halts this terrible project."
In Arizona, Mesa, Tempe and Tucson have introduced plans this year to purchase hotels for shelter services, and others, such as Scottsdale, are using federal and state dollars earmarked for homelessness to rent rooms in hotels or upgrade existing shelters.
Parker is not the first state legislator in Arizona to chime in on the issue.
After Scottsdale accepted a $950,000 grant to expand its room rental program and agreed to house former inhabitants of The Zone in Phoenix as well as some Title 42 immigrants, state Rep. Matt Gress (R-Phoenix) blasted the plan and held a meeting on using hotels to shelter the homeless Sept. 13.
"I will not allow the disastrous policies of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, San Francisco and even Phoenix to seep into our community," Gress pledged.
During the planning and zoning hearing earlier this month, Deputy City Manager Natalie Lewis pushed back on public comments saying Mesa's program was similar to other projects.
"This is not the same program," Lewis said. "There are lots of different models that are happening.
"It might look the same because there are hotels and they're being purchased, but ... the expectations that are set and the rules that we put in place and the safety that we create is completely different."
