By Editor,Will Potter

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Furious residents vented their anger at officials after they proposed building a huge taxpayer-funded homeless encampment in their community.

Locals in Tucson, Arizona city gathered at a news conference this week to protest the move, with footage showing a huge crowd showed up to voice their disapproval.

The new homeless encampment, named STAR Village, is set to be opened next month and is expected to become a fixture of the community for at least a year.

It will be exclusively for women and non-binary homeless people, officials say.

Angry residents held signs and chanted ‘Stop STAR Village’ at the news conference, and local business owners said they were concerned the encampment could impact the safety of their properties.

Jack Anderson Jr., a longtime resident of the Sugar Hill neighborhood where the encampment would be placed, told 13News that he was especially concerned for elderly people that often walk through the area.

‘From my experience, I’ve seen good intentions (end) in a very bad way,’ he told the outlet.

‘The biggest of the concerns the community has is that we weren’t included in the planning, and that’s been a big issue for everyone.

‘Recently, we’ve made some progress over the years, and somehow this got snuck in on us.’

Tucson saw a 300 percent spike in unsheltered homelessness – meaning those who do not attend a shelter – from 2018 to 2023, per data from last year.

Local Josh Jacobsen, who works with a community group named Tucson Crime Free, said he was particularly disappointed that the city’s leaders did not appear to contact the community before going ahead with the STAR Village plan.

‘What we would like to see is for the city would take the feedback of the community because they have not gotten feedback,’ Jacobsen said.

‘Remember, they have put out the message that they have already been in contact with the community; that’s not true.’

According to the Tucson Crime Free website, the city’s promises that the encampment will provide a much-needed space for homeless people in the city is unnecessary.

‘There is nightly availability in city owned and non profit homeless shelters,’ they say.

The group also claims that while the city says funding for the encampment will come from budgets from the mayor and council offices, local nonprofits, and private fundraising, that is not true.

‘They have no money,’ the site claims. ‘There is no dedicated funding or budget. Neighbors will pay the ultimate price.’

In a petition set up by local business owner Lindsey Dooley, she wrote that she was ‘deeply concerned about the city’s plan.’

‘We have worked tirelessly to clean up and revitalize our community, transforming it into a welcoming and safe environment for residents, businesses, and visitors alike.

‘The establishment of a legal campsite could undo much of this progress and bring about a host of new challenges.

‘The proposed site, located in a busy area of Grant Road, raises multiple issues. The potential increase in foot traffic by the unhoused population, loitering, theft and drug use will deter customers from visiting local businesses.’

While many voiced their opposition to the plans, Tucson City Manager Chief of Staff Lane Mandle said that the encampment was needed to help homeless people receive help.

‘We find, a lot of times, that these areas become better than they were initially by us having a presence,’ Mandle said.

‘I do anticipate that being the case here with STAR village as well.’

Mandle added that she believes the project will bring a positive effect to the community, counter to what locals say.

‘Oftentimes, our pilot programs lead to very successful programs,’ she said.

‘This may even be a case where we show through this program that other jurisdictions and other groups could perform a similar service to the community.