Neighbors gathered Tuesday night for a Pinecrest Neighborhood Association public safety meeting, where city officials and Tucson Police discussed how they handle homeless encampments and what actions residents can take.
Tom Mannell, a neighborhood resident, shared his personal experience.
“That’s directly impacted me with property crimes, gunshots, and arson — there have been several fires right on the other side of my back fence,” Mannell said.
Other residents voiced concerns about unhoused individuals using drugs near their homes.
“If you see an encampment, please report it on the encampment protocol tool ,” said Mari Vasquez, a Multi-Agency Resource Coordinator for Pima County and the City of Tucson.
The tool helps the city identify encampments and deploy staff to assess the situation within two to five business days, depending on staffing, Vasquez explained.
“We look at three areas for encampment protocol: the impact to the surrounding community, the impact to our unhoused neighbors, and the impact to the environment,” Vasquez said.