'City of a Thousand': Ep. 1 Downtown Phoenix's tent city explodes at alarming rate

As the man who was interviewed said- homelessness isn’t the issue it’s the side effect. If billions have been spent it’s time to find where did it go and hold people responsible.

Instead of providing for our people, our government rather send trìllions of money to other countries. What a joke our government has become.

I'm so thankful that my landlords are renting me a place to live in at a reasonable rate . Inflation is uncomfortable but i'm thankful that my job pays for my life.

Coming from a rental property owner, I've had my property for 16 years without raising the rent once and have always remained profitable, while keeping tenants happy. Communication, mutual respect, and humility are key. The rise in rent cost is fueled purely by greed. No one who can help this crisis will ever do anything to actually fix it, nor do they care about these people. The homeless don't contribute to campaigns and they can't take on new debt, and because of that they are not valued as human beings by any elected official or CEO.

I remember driving my Ford Ranger around without AC while living in PHX. I can't imagine the heat inside one of those tents on any given day.

It’s like this all over America. The government is so wasteful. We should be fixing our homeland before we try to fix the world

i used to live in phx, and the heat is brutal. i cannot imagine being in a tent during the day or the night. it would have to be stiffling. hard to breathe, and super dangerous. this is just awful. i know the cost of a rental is crazy. has gone thru the roof. i have a friend late 50's that worries everyday about ending up homeless due to health issues. she is terrified that if she has a flare up, and cant work she will lose her very tiny one bedroom that she pays 1,000 a month for plus utilities/ that is crazy. she is educated, and has even owed a restaurant. her life sucks, she will never be able to retire. and if she ends up on SSI, she will absolutely be homless. 700ish a month wont even get her a studio apt. much less utilities, and food. shameful, they are failing their people!

I keep thinking about the heat. Imagine how unbearable those tents become during the middle of the day

We have to open our eyes to what is happening to our society. I believe we are at a tipping point.

No money should be sent to other nations or other nations let in until we help our own homeless and Vets.

I lived in the zone for 14 years. I'm now going on my year and 5 month sobriety, I still know of my friends and family that are still there in the zone. It took my own courage to take that step to get out of there, no one else!!!

There are going to be more with these rent prices. It's ridiculous that a family has to have two incomes just to afford a 1 bed apartment. 1700 in my area. What can we do, why is this happening? Im scared

The homeless will always exist. The issue of skyrocketing rent is a real issue and needs to be curtailed. The cost of living should not mean you work 12 hour days just so you can pay rent , the same rent that is now close to 50 percent more than what it was 2 years ago. My rent went up about 25% from what it was a year ago. That type of increase is criminal.

I work 6 days a week, 10-11 hours a day and even with splitting rent here in South Philadelphia with my sister and my dad who both work, it is hard. We’re literally one illness or injury away from losing a home. Many of us are. I pinch every penny and save everywhere I can in fear that it does happen so I have a nest egg but what life do I really live? Now I’m even more worried because gas and food prices have skyrocketed. The issue is rising rents and lack of well paying jobs. There are “Help Wanted “ signs everywhere but they’re all paying no more than $15 per hour and the average rent here is $1,200 for a small one bedroom.

I have been homeless. I know this problem is growing. Now that I am no longer homeless, and am clean and sober for 3 years, I am reaching out to anyone sharing something encouraging.

There are 3 major things that contribute to homelessness. Substance abuse, meaningful employment, and cost of living(mainly housing which is usually the most expensive). You can tackle any one of these and it can solve the problems for these individuals or prevent it from getting worse. Substance abuse would be the first one to tackle. People may start heavy substance abuse after job loss and or the ability to keep up with cost of living, aka hopelessness, giving up, trapping them in substance abuse with nothing to look forward to except for their next fix. It would be interesting to know how many of them are college educated. Bad college programs that left them in debt and no job that society let them do to themselves. I felt this in the recession of 2008. The year I graduated mechanical engineering. It is an absolutely devastating experience. Spent all that time an effort just to get kicked in the teeth.

FINALLY YALL PUT THIS ON THE NEWS!! ITS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR YEARS!

When in the ghetto they have studio apartments, with problems they ignore, paint over, etc...NO washer, NO dryer and you pay for all utilities, pest control...with the rent being $1,242...in a place near a very busy drug hangout and shootings... Yes, housing is beyond a crisis point.

Absolutely love the Southwest; stunning landscapes and enjoyed Scottsdale for the short time I was there ... but was involuntary when family moved there 10 months before being able to strike out on my own. AWAY from the heat. TENTS on SIDEWALKS? How are any of these people not frying?

I’ve noticed these tents popping up all over Phoenix when I visit there. There are three new ones near my moms house. They cook with bbq grills. It’s unfortunate. The first and largest fentanyl company was based in Az, Ahwatukee to be more specific, the cost of living has sky rocketed, and if I’m not mistaken, individuals are no longer instituted when suffering from mental disorders in Phx. It’s a terribly perfect storm.