Tag: denver homelessness
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Metro Denver homeless providers react to Supreme Court upholding legality of camping bans
In a flurry of decisions released Friday morning, the United States Supreme Court ruled that a camping ban in Oregon does not constitute “cruel and unusual punishment” and, as such, the policy does not violate the Eighth Amendment. The ruling may have significant ramifications for cities in the West, particularly for cities like Phoenix, San Francisco…
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Denver bought hotel to house homeless but 15 months later it hasn’t opened
Denver officials celebrated the purchase of a 96-unit hotel last year with much hype, envisioning a homeless shelter that would offer an array of “supportive” services such as case management and therapy. The city described the former Stay Inn hotel as having recently undergone updates. Then-Mayor Michael Hancock said the city was proud to “transform” yet…
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Denver considers $1 million contract for homeless mental health services
The Denver City Council on Monday will consider a $1 million contract with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless to provide more behavioral health service staffing at its multiple permanent supportive housing sites. This is the council’s first contract since January involving Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, one of metro Denver’s largest nonprofits serving homeless…
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Denver signals shift in homeless focus toward permanent housing, treatment
Editor’s note: This is the third in a four-part series looking into Mayor Mike Johnston’s priorities for 2024. This installment focuses on the mayor’s goal of getting homeless people out of the city’s streets. A startling statistic emerged last year as Denver Mayor Mike Johnston pushed to reach his goal of moving a thousand homeless…
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911 data shows hundreds of calls from Denver’s 5 hotel-turned-shelters for homeless people
On any given day, Doc Miller keeps an eye on his wife Judith watering the garden outside of their South Broadway Bed & Breakfast hotel, wondering when a homeless person would come and threaten her. Their bed and breakfast is the only hotel along the south Broadway corridor, a busy zone that draws shoppers and…
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Denver sweeps homeless encampment but offers no shelter this time
Alexandra Holt said she woke up on Tuesday morning to the police asking her to clean up her tent and leave the 8th Avenue and Navajo Street homeless encampment, where she had been living for a month. “We thought we were going to wake up to housing,” she said. That wasn’t the case on Tuesday.…
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Denver cuts operator’s security budget at hotel-turned homeless shelter following shootings, deaths
As Denver struggles to keep a hotel-turned homeless shelter secure, the city decided to cut down the site operator’s security budget and provide its own security measures instead. The Salvation Army is under a $10 million contract with Denver to operate, oversee and secure the former DoubleTree hotel, located at 4040 N. Quebec St. in…
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Denver considers $2M state grant to assist housing homeless
The Denver City Council on Monday will consider accepting a $2 million state grant to provide homeless people with essential services that include transitioning from temporary shelters into permanent housing. Denver’s housing department plans to use the money for rapid rehousing efforts throughout the city over the next two years. If approved, Denver will receive…
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Denver’s homeless people offered voting resources as election season heats up
Denver offered the city’s homeless population voting resources in the weeks leading up to Super Tuesday, according to election officials. The Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office said it offered election information, setting up a resource table during this week’s “Mutual Aid Monday” homeless resource drive outside of the city building. As homeless people stocked up…
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Denver dismisses ban barring homeless camp sweeps in cold weather
The Denver City Council on Monday failed to override Mayor Mike Johnston’s veto of a bill intended to ban moving homeless people off the streets in frigid temperatures. The ordinance would have prevented the city from moving homeless people -or sweeping encampments – from outdoor living situations in temperatures below 32 degrees. The council approved…