Phoenix City Council passed an ordinance on May 6th requiring Park Services Permits for groups distributing food or medical aid in city parks, limiting each eligible park to two permits a month. Homeless individuals and volunteers fear the new code will limit their access to resources and lead to criminalization.
PHOENIX — For Greg, an unhoused man in Phoenix, a hot meal changes the day. He’s part of a group that gathers for community and food at weekly distributions at Cave Creek Park near Cactus.
Road and 19th Avenue.
"It makes a difference,” Greg told ABC15. "It's easy to lose faith in humanity these days, you know, and just restores a little bit of time. ” Now he is concerned about what a new city code will mean for these volunteer groups, and for him.
"We'd be lost without it,” he said. The ordinance passed by the Phoenix City Council on May 6th will require a Park Services Permit for groups distributing food or medical aid in city parks, limiting each eligible park to two permits a month. It aims to help the city oversee and restrict these activities. Do you have a concern in your community or a news tip?
We want to hear from you! Connect with us: share@abc15.com Facebook | Instagram | YouTube “It's going to literally criminalize what we're doing right now,” Lance Brace, a missionary who runs the distribution event called St. Herman’s Stable at Cave Creek Park at Cactus, said. The volunteers behind these programs have different reasons for helping people living on the streets. For Brace, it’s a religious calling.
For Victoria Gonzales, behind Adrian’s Closet, it’s to honor her son Adrian. He experienced homelessness before he was murdered seven years ago.
"It means a lot,” Gonzales said. “It reminds me of Adrian a lot, because my son wore his heart on his sleeve, and he would have given you the shirt off his back. ” Both say they have no plans to stop serving those in need.
"Get in my car. Let's go and see firsthand what we do. Don't just say, Oh, I'm going to arrest you because you're feeding the homeless,” Gonzales said.
"We have to choose between either not coming out and doing this anymore or becoming criminals,” Brace added. The inaugural 2026 application period runs May 7th through May 27th, and Parks Services Permits events will officially begin on June 5th. Violating the city ordinance is a class one misdemeanor. Those who support the new code say they’ve found dangerous waste in parks, and they want to see needle-free and trash-free public spaces.
"Our parks are more than open spaces, they are where children learn teamwork, discipline, and confidence,” a representative with the Cactus Youth Baseball League said during the May 6th City Council meeting. "They are where families gather, and young athletes grow in a safe and structured environment. ” "I went down the slide, got hurt with a needle,” another child said at the same meeting.
"And I was bleeding and my mom had to take me to the hospital. " Brandy Chard says her group Billy’s Way Home has already applied for the new permit. "This park is open over 100 hours a week. We use it for three,” Chard said.
Her biggest worry is a cap on services, and what fewer outreach events could mean during another brutal Phoenix summer.
"The concern is the consistency that all of the organizations need,” Chard said. "If we don't know, and they don't know when we're going to be here, it's just going to push people, you know, further into despair. ” Latest from ABC15:
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