Denver’s homeless advocates are closely monitoring and offering strong words of caution about plans to increase shelter capacity and hours during the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
“During the convention, (the homeless) should be as free as anyone to participate in the activities or do as they please,” said John Parvensky, the president and chief executive of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, who is working with city planners to prepare for the convention.
At issue are the security zones that will spring up in and around the Pepsi Center, where the convention will be held.
The urban landscape surrounding the site includes areas where the homeless camp or hang out during the summer. If those areas are closed, the homeless – and anyone else – would be forced to stay away.
To respond to such a scenario, the mayor’s office and Denver Human Services are working with homeless shelters to break with tradition and keep shelters open throughout the day and open facilities normally used only during extreme weather.
Homeless advocates long have advised that shelters stay open during the day, so the city’s plans don’t necessarily clash with outreach efforts, Parvensky said, as long as the shelters aren’t used to keep the homeless off the streets and out of sight of conventioneers.
Deborah Ortega, who directs the city’s Commission to End Homelessness, said Parvensky’s concerns are also her own.
Ortega said the discussion with Secret Service and police has focused on how best to respond if homeless wander into a secure zone.
Human Services already relies on 21 field workers to work with the homeless during police encounters, Ortega said.
During the convention, if security finds a homeless person in an off-limits area, those field workers would be called in.
But those explanations don’t convince Randle Loeb, another homeless advocate involved in the discussions.
“Security,” Loeb said. “That’s the language that they’re using. I think it’s an infringement of people’s rights.”
“We’ve always mixed this up,” Loeb said. “We’ve confused crime with people who are living in difficult situations.”
Staff writer Chuck Plunkett can be reached at 303-954-1333 or cplunkett@denverpost.com.
