Homeless Camps In Downtown Denver Must Move

DENVER (CBS4) - The City of Denver will begin posting flyers on Monday that warn some of the homeless population to move off the sidewalks. The focus of the campaign are the camps set up on the sidewalks and parks near Lawrence and Park Avenue West in the Ballpark Neighborhood.

"I've been out here. I'm free, I can do whatever I want," said one homeless man.

Once the flyers are posted, the belongings must be moved in 24 hours. If the tarps, grocery carts, clothing and bins are not gone by Tuesday, the city will remove it. The belongings will be stored for 30 days and if no one comes to claim them, the items will be destroyed.

The City of Denver said the camps have grown so large there are concerns about health and safety.

Pedestrians can have a tough time navigating through the area, "Going down the sidewalks a lot of times I can't get past on Lawrence so I have to take alternate ways."

In an effort to clean up the area the city began issuing warnings based on an ordinance that bans any blocking of a public way, including sidewalks.

"I know a lot of people are just packing up and moving tonight but some people aren't going to," said one homeless person.

The Colorado Homeless Coalition told CBS4 the efforts by the City of Denver are costly and unproductive and believes the actions will do very little to address the needs of people experiencing homelessness.