At Tuesday’s Phoenix City Council policy session meeting, the council discussed several topics surrounding the impact of COVID-19. Included below is an update on the city’s response efforts as well as its homelessness and social services strategy.
ASU testing first responders
Assistant City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr said that Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute has offered to provide universal COVID-19 testing for first responders. First responders are one of the most high-risk populations in the community, according to ASU. It would be a voluntary opportunity for first responders to get tested on their off time at the ASU lab in Tempe. “The cost of the test is $100 each, but the philanthropic arm of ASU is willing to go out and seek funding in order to cover the cost,” Dohoney said at the meeting. “This opportunity, we believe, holds promise … As soon as we can hammer out the details, it is something we would like to move forward with.”
Homelessness and housing funding
Phoenix will receive $4.9 million in federal funding for emergency solutions grants, $9.8 million for community development block grants, $1.25 million for the public housing program, and $440,505 for housing opportunities for persons with AIDS, according to Assistant City Manager Deanna Jonovich. In addition, they will receive $10.3 million for the Section Eight housing choice voucher program, a program that assists “very low-income families, the elderly and the disabled” to afford housing, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This all totals just under $26.7 million in federal funding to the City of Phoenix. “With this one-time funding, we want to create a plan that has lasting effects beyond the COVID-19 crisis,” Jonovich said.
Homelessness in Phoenix overview
In an overview of homelessness in Phoenix, Jonovich said that the number of unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness in Phoenix increased by 18% in 2020, totaling 2,380 unsheltered homeless individuals. Maricopa County has made lots available to appropriately distance individuals and is securing temporary locations for vulnerable populations. In addition, the county is securing temporary hotels for confirmed positive cases. Circle the City, a nonprofit community health organization that provides holistic healthcare to those experiencing homelessness, has also aided the effort. The nonprofit has created 48 additional beds for individuals under investigation and 10 beds for individuals confirmed positive with the ability to expand to 40.
Reopening strategy
While it is unknown when the city will be able to reopen closed businesses and other amenities, Phoenix has already begun the early stages of planning its reopening strategy. A 13-member group has been established to help manage coordination, according to Dohoney. “We view (reopening) as a process rather than a single event. We don’t view it as something where a switch will be hit and then the next day everything is exactly like it was before … but that the process would unfold over a series of days or weeks or maybe even months,” Dohoney said. Right now all plans are in discussion, but actual instructions as to how to move forward will come from policymakers.
Police academy training
In addition to police officers and first responders being impacted by the pandemic, police trainees are also adapting to the changes. In normal conditions, cadets training to join the police force attend in-person classes and training, “learning both the academic side of things and also the tactical side of what it takes to be a police officer,” Dohoney said. In light of the pandemic, police trainees are doing their training exercises at home via a remote learning program. At home, cadets learn burglary reporting and homicide investigation. “It’s certainly unique,” Dohoney said. “I’m not sure how many other academies are being operated in this manner, but it is a way for us to keep a class together.”
Contact the reporter at hrein@asu.edu
Hailey Rein is the Education Editor at Downtown Devil and a senior at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass communications. In addition, she is a digital producer at azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic. In her free time, she enjoys being with her dogs and watching a rom-com.
