In November’s election, Aurora voters flipped what was previously a seven-to-three conservative majority on the City Council to a six-to-four progressive majority.

With the significant shift of the council’s political leaning could come policy changes and reversals. The Denver Gazette asked both new and old councilmembers about their thoughts on specific hot-button issues in Aurora and whether or not they plan to attempt to reverse certain policies.

Newly elected progressive Councilmembers Rob Andrews, Amy Wiles, Alli Jackson and Gianina Horton are still in their first official month on the council. Other progressive councilmembers include Alison Coombs and Ruben Medina. Conservative councilmembers include Angela Lawson, Stephanie Hancock, Curtis Gardner and Francoise Bergan.

Gardner, Lawson and Medina did not respond to multiple attempts by The Denver Gazette to get them to answer a questionnaire.

Over the past year, Aurora City Council members have moved forward with what the mayor has called a “tough love” approach to homelessness, enacting a camping ban, alongside starting a court system to address low-level offenses by homeless people.

Officials celebrated the opening of the Regional Navigation Campus in early November, cutting the ribbon on a former hotel that now acts as a “one-stop-shop” for homeless services and shelter.

The city’s Housing, Employment, Addiction, Recovery and Teamwork (HEART) Court, will also operate out of the navigation campus, staff said.

The idea behind the court system is to give low-level offenders the option to either go to probation with court-ordered requirements to participate in homeless services, such as addiction prevention and mental health treatment, or go to jail.

Councilmembers were asked about Aurora’s current homelessness strategy. Their responses are written verbatim below in alphabetical order by last name.

The Denver Gazette: The previous Aurora council enacted what the mayor has called a “tough love” approach to homelessness, creating a camping ban, adding a HEART court and opening the Regional Navigation Campus. Do you plan to reverse any of these decisions made by the previous council or do you think that approach should stay the same? Why? 

Andrews: I want Aurora focused on what works – getting people safely indoors, connected to treatment and services, and back on a path to stability. I’m not interested in ideology or optics – I’m interested in outcomes. We will review each tool based on clear metrics and lived experience from providers, neighbors, and people experiencing homelessness, and I’ll push for a balanced approach that pairs accountability with real alternatives like shelter, supportive housing, and behavioral health care.

Bergan: I don’t think it is wise of us to reverse our policies. The camping ban has resulted in less encampments for our residents and businesses. We had a lot of complaints before the camping ban was enacted. The navigation center philosophy will hopefully address the full reality of why many people remain homeless and help them rebuild stable, self-directed lives rather than simply relocating their hardship indoors. Many chronically homeless individuals struggle with untreated addiction, serious mental illness, or long histories of disengagement from work and social norms. A treatment/work-first approach restores dignity and purpose. Work is not punishment; it is a proven stabilizer. It creates routine, builds skills, reconnects people to society, and fosters self-worth. Treatment, likewise, is an act of care, not control, offering people the tools to regain agency over their lives.

For homeless individuals with criminal records, offering the option to enter the HEART program in lieu of incarceration can achieve far better outcomes. This approach recognizes that repeated low-level offenses often stem from addiction or mental illness, not malice. Providing a clear choice — treatment and structured work instead of jail — creates a turning point to regain their life and dignity.

In the end, compassion is not defined by how little we ask of people, but by how much we are willing to invest in their potential. By combining support with structure, and care with expectations, this model offers not just shelter — but a real path out of homelessness.

Coombs: I believe we must pursue, at minimum, changes to the camping ban that address how it criminalizes chronic homelessness and poverty. Criminal penalties for the camping ban ordinance and misdemeanor trespass make it harder, not easier, for people to access stable housing. I will also ask staff to provide data on camping ban enforcement and costs, and will look at alternative options for addressing public health, life safety, and quality of life issues related to encampments.

Hancock I don’t support reversing policies just for the sake of it — what matters is whether they deliver real results. Aurora’s “tough love” approach balanced clear expectations, like the camping ban, with pathways to help through the navigation campus and HEART Court.

Intent alone isn’t enough; we have to focus on outcomes. Are more people getting into services? Are neighborhoods safer and cleaner? If yes, we keep going. If not, we adjust.

Homelessness requires both accountability and support. My priority is practical outcomes: safer streets, better conditions for residents and businesses, and real progress toward stability and dignity for people in crisis. Policies that achieve that should stay; those that don’t should change.

Horton: As much as I understand the sentiment of a tough love approach to any systemic issue facing those in poverty, I fundamentally do not believe that tough love addresses the root cause of why individuals and families are unhoused. With the navigation center being so new to the Aurora community and a new resource for those experiencing homelessness, I am looking forward to assessing their data and impact over the coming months. I am scheduling a site visit in late January to learn more about the navigation center, and impact so far. In terms of the HEART Court, I am committed in the new year to learning more about this new program. One pending question I have is the ability for those who are participating in HEART court to access a public defender who can provide council before determinant of participation in the HEART program. 

Jackson: I plan to meet and talk with all my council colleagues to get their opinions and work within the departments to establish markers using data from these policies to see the impact they are having in the community. 

Wiles: I believe it is premature to provide a definitive position on reversing policy at this time. While I strongly support expanding assistance for unhoused members of our community, the recent opening of the navigation center presents an important opportunity to observe and evaluate its effectiveness over the coming months before determining what adjustments may be necessary.

I would also advocate for the establishment of designated safe camping areas equipped with restrooms, ensuring that those who choose to camp can do so in a safe and sanitary environment rather than on city streets or in residential neighborhoods. In addition, I support exploring alternative housing models, such as veteran-focused tiny home communities, which can help fill existing gaps and provide specialized care tailored to the unique needs of certain unhoused populations.