Denver Eyeing Area In Five Points Neighborhood For Sanctioned Homeless Camp
DENVER (CBS4) - Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced a possible location for a temporary, sanction homeless campsite in the Five Points neighborhood. The news came in a social media post on Saturday.
Hancock says they are looking at a city-owned right-of-way between Sonny Lawson Park and the Blair-Caldwell Library.
Over the past two months, the City and Colorado Village Collaborative have been carefully reviewing potential locations...
Posted by Michael B. Hancock on Saturday, September 12, 2020
City leaders and other organizations plan to talk with the community before making any concrete decisions. Three virtual town halls are scheduled for this week, but specifics were not given.
The possible location comes from a months-long partnership between the city and Colorado Village Collaborative to provide a controlled environment to homeless camps. The goal is to provide nearly 50 homeless individuals with showers, laundry, hand washing stations and access to essential mental health and substance resources.
In July, Hancock asked city council members to identify a viable spot for these temporary homeless campsites in their districts.
A month ago, the community rejected a proposal to make the Denver Coliseum as the first sanctioned area.
Then in late August, the city council approved a more than $19 million 10-year lease to create a homeless shelter at a vacant warehouse near 48th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.
Hancock says they are working to identify two more temporary, sanctioned homeless campsites.