Mesa briefs council on heat‑relief funding, street outreach and plan to move 'Off the Streets' shelter to new site

Deputy Director Lindsay Balenke told the City Council that Community Services is asking for a mix of one‑time and ongoing funds to sustain heat‑relief services, extend street outreach and transition the city’s emergency shelter program to a new property.

Balenke said the Office of Homeless Solutions is requesting a one‑time allocation of $89,800 to support heat‑relief operations next summer and to expand transportation, outreach materials and a portable air conditioning loan program. “This is a one‑time request for $89,800,” she said. The department reported the portable air‑conditioner loan program served 56 households last summer.

The department also described an intergovernmental agreement with Maricopa County Public Health to fund the primary heat‑relief center at Resurrection Street Ministries. Staff said the site can serve up to 50 people and will continue to operate through 2026 under the county IGA. Balenke described additional cooling center coverage and said Mesa’s analysis of emergency response calls led staff to conclude that 8 p.m. was the common response cutoff; the deputy director said Phoenix operates cooling centers later but that Mesa has not added that coverage to date.

On street outreach, the council heard that a contract for six dedicated navigators — vehicles and outreach tool kits included — is budgeted at roughly $574,806 total, with $301,000 of that paid from Community Development Block Grant funds. “They are dedicated to Mesa and are only working in Mesa for Mesa,” Balenke said. Staff emphasized that the navigators help first responders, support the libraries and build relationships with people experiencing homelessness.

The largest operational change discussed was the planned move of the city’s Off the Streets emergency shelter from a leased site at the Windermere to the renovated Sunair property. Staff said the Windermere rents 85 rooms today at an average cost per room (including services) of $98.65 per room per day and that Sunair will operate 64 rooms at approximately $85.27 per room per day. City staff reported Windermere’s current contract cost is about $3.1 million annually and said the Sunair operating budget is estimated at $2.5 million annually.

City staff said the first year of the transition would carry a one‑time impact of $900,000 to the general fund after applying ARPA dollars that currently offset the Windermere contract. Beginning in fiscal year 2026–27, staff said, the ongoing cost would be the $2.5 million Sunair budget; staff said they expect to rely on remaining ARPA funds for the transition year and then to move to ongoing general fund support.

Balenke and others noted Sunair will be a different facility under the council use permit: the property is fenced, has interior hallway room access and the permit restricts eligibility to seniors, families or domestic‑violence survivors. Staff said about 80% of current Windermere clients would qualify for Sunair, while roughly 20% — primarily single adults — would not. Council members raised concerns about single women and about losing Windermere’s former emergency “cot” capacity used for immediate triage. Staff said some single people can be placed at regional facilities and that the city has a contract with the East Valley Men’s Center to secure beds for men; staff also said there is time — through the planned March 2026 move — to return to council and request changes to the council use permit if the council wants to broaden Sunair’s eligible populations.

Ending: Council members asked staff to return with additional data on outcomes, program capacity and options for single‑adult clients before the Windermere contract ends and Sunair opens.