Tucson council hears Safe City update, approves personal-property program and pilot support

City staff on Dec. 16 gave Mayor and Council an update on coordinated efforts to reduce unsheltered homelessness under the Safe City initiative and won council backing for new operational steps.

Assistant City Manager Liz Morales and Community Safety, Health and Wellness Director Brandy Champion outlined a multi-agency approach that pairs housing-first placements with outreach and enforcement "when necessary to protect public safety," and highlighted a Star Village shelter pilot that has enrolled dozens into case management and helped move several people into permanent housing. Justin Hamilton, multi-agency resource coordinator, described a large-scale decommissioning of an encampment near the "100 Acres" bike park. Staff said deployments engaged roughly 30 people on the operation day, placed six directly into permanent housing and removed more than 300 tons of debris from the site.

Officials said ongoing challenges include limited housing capacity compared with demand; TPCH reported completing 67 housing assessments during the reporting period and cited capacity and eligibility constraints for shelter referrals. To address property retention concerns raised by residents, staff proposed a centralized personal‑property program to assess, collect, document, store and return belongings; the city said the program will launch in January 2026 and will provide tracking numbers and retrieval instructions.

TPCH Director Kat Davis briefed council on the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s paused Continuum of Care NOFO and related litigation; the pause has halted the local competition and staff said they expect further guidance from HUD in late December. Council also approved a motion to designate the vice mayor as the city’s representative to the TPCH board to ensure consistent city representation.

Council members pressed staff on tracking outcomes after enforcement contacts, such as whether people arrested are connected to services and what follow-up occurs; staff said they are coordinating with transition‑center and pretrial services to monitor post‑arrest engagement. The council asked staff to return with additional outcome data and to continue regional coordination with Pima County and nonprofit partners.

Council approved the appointment of the vice mayor to the TPCH board and voiced support for the personal‑property program and the city’s integrated outreach strategy. Staff emphasized the need for more housing capacity and behavioral‑health services to sustain the gains from outreach and shelter placements.