Denver housed 83 homeless people in a hotel during and after Tuesday’s encampment sweep and closure next to the Governor’s Mansion in Capitol Hill. Despite homeless people’s high interest in hotel housing, Mayor Mike Johnston believes there is equal interest in the other housing alternatives.

“This is a historic week for Denver,” Johnston said during a press conference Thursday. “For the first time we were able to close an encampment and move 83 individuals from homelessness directly into transitional supportive housing.”

Denver sweeps homeless encampment near Governor’s Mansion

The mayor clarified Tuesday was the first encampment closure in Denver history which simultaneously housed homeless residents. He also objected to the term “sweep,” saying that an “encampment sweep” closes the camp – but homeless living there are not given the same accommodation and have to go somewhere else on the street.

He prefers the term “encampment closure,” though that doesn’t cover the homeless who didn’t get into the hotel shelter.  

Johnston’s goal of housing 1,000 homeless by year’s end led Denver to implement immediate housing strategies from buying or leasing hotels, non-congregate shelters, and perhaps most controversially – micro-communities.

Several homeless people involved in Tuesday’s camp closure expressed to The Denver Gazette high interest in hotel housing. Some who did not get a hotel room expressed not as much interest in going to alternative housing.

All 83 homeless who were sent to a hotel did not deny the opportunity, Johnston said, citing his goal of closing encampments and transitioning those living there into housing.

“If you do offer people, dignified, stable, transitional housing options, they will not only want that housing, they will jump at the chance to get access to that,” he said.

There were 70 available hotel units when the encampment received closure notice 7-days prior, which word got out and more people arrived at the encampment expecting housing, Johnston said.

Homeless people who did not get a hotel room were referred to the other housing alternatives, some homeless residents said at the Governor’s Mansion encampment.

“I think the level of interest is equally high on each of the alternatives we propose,” Johnston told The Denver Gazette.

“Each of our housing options send you directly to at least an apartment, to a hotel, or to a micro community,” he said. “Each of those have the same characteristics of dignity and stability that are missing in some of the traditional congregate shelter sites.”

Characteristics which cause worry about shelter sites are continued drug-use, crime, safety, and quality of living.

Needs for housing consist of heat, air conditioning, privacy, locked doors, bathrooms, kitchens and showers, Johnston said.

“Each of the sites we’re proposing all offer these amenities which is why we think the uptake is going to be so high and why this week proved that.”

Denver so far housed 106 homeless people since July 18, Johnston’s first day in-office where he declared a city-wide homeless emergency, according to a city-made dashboard counting those housed.

Denver officials did not disclose the exact location of the hotel homeless were sent to, citing privacy. But several sources said at the encampment it was the recently acquired Best Western on Quebec Street.

On Monday, the day before the planned encampment sweep, city council voted to officially allocate $15.7 million to help acquire the Best Western hotel in northeast Denver. The Denver Housing Authority board of commissioners earlier approved the hotel’s purchase for $25.95 million, with the funding coming from various sources.

The city has allocated $52 million for homeless initiatives through the rest of 2023. Micro-communities are being prioritized with $19.6 million planned for implementation.

In addition to talking homelessness, Johnston addressed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to send over a thousand immigrants, namely from Venezuela, to Denver. This past week saw a new average for daily arrivals at 240 migrants, which now exceeds a total of 1,900 immigrants, according to Johnston.

“We think these are distinct populations with very different sets of needs, and have used different interventions to support them,” Johnston said on the difference between housing Denverites versus incoming immigrants.

It is estimated 30% of immigrants will stay in Denver, according to city officials.