TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In recent weeks street crime, drugs and homelessness have prompted the City of Tucson to unveil its Safe City Initiative. Pima County Supervisors just passed what they call their One Pima Initiative to address many of the same problems.
Pima County Supervisors and the Tucson City Council have had some tense exchanges about who’s doing what to solve the problems of homelessness and street crime but now they’ve had a joint meeting and they’re coming together to try to solve those problems.
High profile incidents like the murder of a cyclist along the Loop have added urgency to the chronic problems of homelessness, drugs and street crime.
Before Tuesday's meeting Mayor Regina Romero and Supervisor’s Chair Rex Scott exchanged some tense statements about what the city and county are doing about crime and homelessness but as the meeting began, both said both governments are working hard on the problems but could do better with better cooperation.
Ward 6 Councilmember Karin Uhlich says we are asking police and the legal system to deal with what’s really a health problem.
“And if I had cancer or kidney disease, nobody would be hauling me off to jail but if I have mental illness or I’m addicted, guess what? And right now there are huge gaps in our behavioral health system.”
Proposals include finding ways to get someone into treatment the minute they come out of jail or out of a hospital because the opportunity to help can slip away with even a day’s delay.
The city and county agree they can do a better job sharing data, connecting to regional treatment programs and making more housing available.
Pima County is committing to more clean up and enforcement along the Loop, expanding housing and treatment options.
Florence Johnson is a midtown Tucson resident who sat in on the joint meeting. She likes the idea of giving help a higher priority than jail time.
“I don't think that jailing of people with, say, a drug issue or homelessness is homelessness is not, you know, an offense that should be something that causes people to be put in jail because that affects their ability to get homes later when they're released from jail. You know, people don't like to rent to people who have a record.”
The last time Supervisors and Councilmembers had a joint meeting was before the pandemic. Now they say they may meet four times a year to work on shared solutions to shared problems.
