Garbage bins and zip ties create 'lifesaver' storage program for Phoenix homeless population

About 500 people stay at the homeless shelter on the Human Services Campus south of downtown Phoenix every night, and another 700 or so stay on the streets surrounding the campus. 

These individuals don't have housing — but they do have things. Sometimes, lots of things: tents, bedding, clothes, toiletries, books, dog food for their four-legged companions and other odds and ends.

Many of these possessions are incredibly valuable, but keeping them safe and secure is a constant struggle. With 175 city garbage cans and a package of zip ties, the Human Services Campus hopes to change that.

A new storage program on the campus gives people experiencing homelessness a clean garbage can — the black roller bins homeowners place on their driveway once per week. Each morning and evening, people can access their storage bin and use zip ties to secure their belongings inside them. 

The program is simple and inexpensive but a huge asset to people experiencing homelessness whose possessions are frequently stolen or disposed of during encampment sweeps. 

"It's been a lifesaver," said Ashley Board, who uses her storage bin every day.

Phoenix homelessness: Annual count returns after COVID-19 interruption 

Keeping possessions safe

People who live in homes often take storage for granted. But people experiencing homelessness either have to lug all of their items everywhere they go or leave them on the street and hope they aren't stolen or thrown away.

People interviewed by The Arizona Republic over the past several years have recounted stories of city workers disposing of their belongings during the three-times-per-week cleanups around the Human Services Campus. 

These homeless encampment sweeps still occur while under investigation by the Department of Justice. 

Other people interviewed by The Republic, especially elderly people, have shared stories of their items being stolen by others who are homeless.

Human Services Campus Executive Director Amy Schwabenlender said the new storage program aims to give people a safe place to leave their possessions so they can go to appointments with case managers, counselors, doctors and others to work on ending their homelessness. 

Schwabenlender said many people miss appointments or refuse to stay in the shelter because there are limits on how many items they can bring inside. 

"We're always looking for how we (can) remove the barriers so people engage with a service or stay in shelter," she said.

Phoenix donated about 300 trash bins during the start of the pandemic when Maricopa County opened parking lots for people to sleep in to promote social distancing. The Human Services Campus used the bins to transport people's items to the lots. 

The Human Services Campus kept the bins and created a secure storage area on the campus that fits about 175 bins.  

The program began in December, and by January all of the bins were full. Schwabenlender said the campus is considering adding more storage in the future. 

'Empowering' and 'peace of mind'

Client Engagement Specialists Melanie McAllister and Ixya Caraveo man the storage program several days per week. They claim it's been extremely popular with clients. 

"I think if we increased this from 175 to 300 bins, they'd all be used," McAllister said.

She said people use the bins for a variety of reasons. Some use it to help organize their laundry, others store their medications and other important items they are fearful of losing. 

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, when the city conducts street cleanups, the program is especially busy, she said. 

"People are constantly getting their belongings stolen, and I think this helps with a peace of mind for them that we're going to keep it safe," McAllister said. 

Caraveo said she thinks the program is "empowering" because it allows people to stop worrying about keeping their possessions safe and start looking for employment and housing. 

"I've had two clients tell me within the past two weeks that keeping their stuff stored makes them feel prepared to start packing in order to find housing," she said. 

A stress reliever

Board started using the homeless storage program a few weeks ago and said it's already become part of her routine. 

Board, who most often sleeps on the street, said she comes to the storage area every morning to drop off her bedding and retrieve clean clothes and makeup for the day. Every afternoon, she returns to pick up her bedding, toiletries and other items before heading out to the street for the night.

Board was experiencing homelessness last year before the storage program existed and said she would leave her possessions unattended when she went to eat, only to find them gone when she returned. 

She said she was constantly worrying: "Where's my stuff? Where did I set my things? I know this is where I set my bag down, where did it go?" 

"I ain't got to worry about that (now)," Board said. "It's at my storage bin at the shelter — it's fine."

Coverage of housing insecurity on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation. 

Reach the reporter at jessica.boehm@gannett.com or 480-694-1823. Follow her on Twitter @jboehm_NEWS.

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