Denver Mayor Mike Johnston IDs potential housing sites for those experiencing homelessness
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has released a list of potential sites for micro-community and hotel unit locations for those experiencing homelessness. This is part of the mayor's plan to get 1,000 people experiencing homelessness of the streets by the end of the year.
The sites will continue to be evaluated over the next couple of weeks. Johnston said the list will expand to include sites in every Denver City Council District.
"These sites, in combination with hotels and leased units, puts us on a path to get 1,000 Denverites indoors," said Mayor Mike Johnston in a statement. "It takes a community response to address our city's homelessness crisis, and identifying this preliminary list of possible sites is a big step toward getting more people off the streets and on a path toward housing stability. We're grateful to the many private landowners and public partners who have come forward to support this initiative, and I look forward to engaging with many more Denverites on how we all can be a part of the solution."
The list of sites identified so far:
District 3:
1498 N. Irving Street- Micro Community
District 4:
5500 E. Yale Ave. - Micro Community
District 6:
1380 S. Birch Street- Micro Community
District 7:
950 W. Alameda Ave. - Micro Community
2301 S. Santa Fe Drive - Micro Community
District 8:
4595 N. Quebec Street - Hotel
12033 E. 38th Ave. - Hotel/Micro Community
District 9:
3700 Galapago Street- - Micro Community
District 10:
1199 N. Bannock Street - Micro Community
1375 N. Elati Street - Micro Community
District 11:
5000 Tower Road - Micro Community
The list release comes just days after a shooting near a homeless camp at Logan Street and East 18th Avenue. Denver police said that two people were shot at the camp on Monday afternoon.
Crews cleaned up the camp on Thursday morning after a one-day delay due to the shooting.
Additional Information from the City of Denver:
The site list includes public land owned by either the City and County of Denver and other public partners like the Colorado Department of Transportation, as well as privately owned sites offered by landowners that are available for use through a purchase or lease agreement. Sites will continue to be evaluated by the Emergency Operations Center on a number of criteria, including:
· Proximity to transit
· Access to utilities (electricity, water)
· Meets basic zoning and permitting criteria
· Meets basic environmental criteria
· Distance from schools
· Equitable distribution of sites across the city
In addition to the list of possible sites shared today, the Emergency Operations Center continues to search for additional site locations for consideration.
Since the Emergency Declaration on homelessness was initially established on July 18, Mayor Johnston has held 20 townhall meetings for residents to learn more about the initiative. Public meetings are being held across all Denver neighborhoods, and all future meetings will include an opportunity for residents to learn more about possible sites and what these micro-communities will look like. Townhalls are scheduled through this weekend in the Northeast Park Hill, Villa Park, Berkeley, Union Station, and Cherry Creek neighborhoods. To see a schedule of all upcoming townhall meetings, visit denvergov.org/house1000.
Other developments announced by Mayor Johnston today include:
· Denver is working to swiftly acquire 200 pallet shelters, community buildings and restrooms for up to three sites. A $7 million purchasing contract was approved by City Council's Finance and Governance Committee earlier this week and will go to the full City Council for a vote on August 28.
· Two notable procurements supporting the emergency declaration are currently open. A request for proposals is underway to identify known and trusted partners to both provide the wraparound services and site management, including security. In addition, a manufactured sleeping units invitation to bid was issued on August 16. This procurement will identify tiny home manufacturers.
· The Denver Housing Authority just recently closed on its acquisition of the Best Western Central Park hotel at 4595 Quebec St., for conversion to permanent supportive housing. The site will be leased to the City for a nominal cost and put into an interim use this fall as non-congregate shelter.
· Denver City Council extended the homelessness State of Emergency declaration this past Monday. The declaration is in effect through September 18, 2023.
Please see the Frequently Asked Questions document for more information on the micro-community locations and details.
