homelessness
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Aurora council consider building new campus to curb homelessness
At a price tag of at least $50 million, some Aurora City councilmembers proposed to construct a new campus for the homeless that would offer not only a place to live but also services to aid their transition to self sufficiency. The vision emerged out of city officials’ travel to two cities in Texas and…
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Denver’s housing agency seeks budget hike to house 220 homeless individuals in hotels
Denver’s housing agency wants to quickly remove more than 220 homeless individuals from the streets by housing them in hotels, officials said during budget hearings this week. The department also wants to house 150 or more through another housing program. Officials from the Department of Housing Stability laid out their case for more funding on Tuesday, even…
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The State of the Streets: A conversation with Police Chief Pazen
We all know about the State of the Union address our president delivers to Congress every year. Our governor does multiple State of the State speeches around Colorado, and Denver hosts several State of the City events, including one just last Thursday sponsored by the Denver Chamber of Commerce. All fine and good, but who…
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Denver council postpones vote extending contract with homeless hotel
Denver City Council postponed its vote on whether to extend the city’s use of 140 rooms at a downtown hotel for the high-risk homeless population. Council member Deborah Ortega requested the council postpone the vote because she was not present for the topic discussion at committee and wants more time to digest information around the…
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Denver City Council 2023 budget priorities: community engagement, housing, public safety
Denver City Council left its annual budget retreat with the goal of focusing 2023’s funding on community engagement, increasing affordable housing, reframing public safety, workforce and business recovery, protecting the environment and increasing transportation in the city. These priorities will serve as a guide to the mayor’s office and other city agencies as they develop…
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Colorado Springs’ first homelessness prevention specialist heading to governor’s office
The city of Colorado Springs’ first homelessness prevention specialist has been tapped to become the first to fill a similar position in the governor’s office. Andy Phelps will leave his job of nearly five years on June 3 as the homelessness prevention and response coordinator for Mayor John Suthers and start June 6 as special…
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Denver committee agrees to extend use of 140 hotel rooms for homeless population
Denver’s Finance and Governance Committee on Tuesday moved a resolution extending the city’s use of 140 rooms at a downtown hotel for the high-risk homeless population to the full council for approval, as well as a food service agreement. The city began providing food and shelter at the Aloft Hotel at the start of the…
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Denver houses nearly 600 people in 100 days
Denver recently housed nearly 600 people during a 100-day housing initiative, but fell short of its goal of getting 400 households experiencing homelessness a place to live. The initiative began in February and aimed to house 400 households through housing vouchers. At the end of the 100 days, 597 people from 359 households were housed…
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Aurora staff: Homeless camping ban won’t be enforced until city adopts storage policy
While Aurora’s camping ban is now technically in effect, the city can’t enforce it until it adopts a policy for storing personal items, a provision outlined in an amendment to the original ordinance. City staffers are also looking at renovations to the Aurora Day Resource Center to provide additional shelter, which they identified as a…
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Colorado legislators, Polis want to allocate $200 million to confront homelessness
As Colorado’s homeless epidemic grows increasingly dire in recent years, the governor and his allies in the legislature unveiled measures that collectively allocate $200 million to confront the crisis. Gov. Jared Polis announced the three-bill package during a press conference Monday, saying the COVID-19 pandemic has elevated homelessness in Colorado from a concern to a…