"Cities tackling a surge of street homelessness are offering official camps while penalizing people sleeping in public elsewhere".
"WASHINGTON - As COVID-19 swept across the United States, 63-year-old Elisheyah Denise McKinley lost her home in Phoenix, Arizona – and was told her only option was to put up a tent in a parking lot.
The camp allowed people to pitch tents on two car parks with access to washing areas and toilets, but had few other facilities and became searingly hot as the asphalt baked in temperatures of more than 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44 C).
"The ground was so hot, I had to wear combat boots. And there were ants everywhere," said McKinley, adding that several camp residents had died.
Maricopa County recorded five deaths at the lots over 12 months, four of which were drug-related, said Fields Moseley, communications director for the county.
Alarmed by the deaths, McKinley started looking in on those nearby her and checking if they needed water."
Carey L. Biron reports for Thomson Reuters Foundation August 2, 2022.
