MESA, AZ — According to Mesa Mayor John Giles, homelessness is not a problem, it's the problem.
"I was a little surprised to find out that the basic needs of housing and food insecurity were the top two issues in our community," Giles said.
During the pandemic, the city of Mesa saw the issue balloon and they knew they had to come up with a solution.
READ PART ONE OF THIS STORY: Mesa mayor discusses city's success addressing homelessness
"Our city, our court system and our city jails have been full of people that were there for vagrancy and for trespassing and for urban camping, which essentially is the crime of being poor," the mayor said. "Right, and so those are the folks who don't need a punitive, you know, punishment for that, that place that they find themselves in. They need a hand up and they need access to resources."
Out of that, the "Off the Streets" program was started. It's a temporary housing program with wraparound support services for some of the most vulnerable, who have to be referred by emergency services.
"Once you give them a little bit of dignity, then you can look them in the eye and say, 'Let's talk about what else is going on here," said Giles.
Luke Wonderly was living on the streets looking for a little dignity.
"How did that make you feel when you're just trying to be productive and there are other circumstances limiting that success?" asked ABC15.
"It made me feel bad. And for so many others, they feel unwanted. They feel demeaned. They feel dehumanized," said Wonderly.
The Off the Streets program currently rents 85 rooms from the Wyndemere Hotel in Mesa to offer people temporary housing. The city also partners with other nonprofits to be able to provide housing and services at other facilities like A New Leaf men's shelter where Wonderly is staying.
"It's one thing to offer a roof over your head. It's another thing to offer those services. How big of a difference has that made?" asked Soto.
"Being aware of the services they made available, I didn't know about," said Wonderly. "I wouldn't have known how to pursue it. Having a safe place to lay your head, to have the ability to shower, the ability to wash your clothes, the ability to be encouraged to pursue these different services that are a benefit towards becoming, again, a productive member of society."
As of May 2023, the Off the Streets program has helped more than 1,700 individuals.
"It's been about a 75% success rate. In other words, when you graduate from the Off the Streets program, three out of four people don't return to the streets. They do move into the next step in the housing continuum, and ultimately into permanent housing," said Giles.
The city of Mesa is now trying to expand the program by using federal funding to purchase the Grand Hotel, but not everybody is on board.
"If it's working so well at the Wyndemere, why not stay there?" asked Mesa resident Morgan Lichaczewski, who lives with his family just several hundred feet from the Grand Hotel.
"We're all on the same page," Lichaczewski added. "We're all very sympathetic with the situation. I came back from Iraq, and I was homeless. So, I get it. We just simply don't think it's going to help our situation."
ABC15 asked Mayor Giles what his message would be to those who are voicing opposition to the city's plans to purchase the Grand Hotel.
"This is not homeless men who have substance abuse issues or have sexual abuse histories or, you know, that's not the population that we want, that this facility is intended for," Giles said. "It's for families. It's for women and children and elderly people. In this right now, in the Off the Streets program, you know three out of four people fall into that category already. So, we've got 20% of the folks that we are currently helping are minors. They're children. So, that's the population that is going to use this facility."
The city has created a page with frequently asked questions and more about the program. The next meeting is a Planning and Zoning meeting on September 13, and then a city council meeting on October 14.
