Denver’s homeless problem is increasing, there is no doubt about that.
It is seen in the booming occupancy in shelters, in the motels filled with families and people on the streets. And it’s why a new homeless center announced last week is very good news indeed.
Surveys count roughly 350 unsheltered homeless people on the 16th Street Mall every night, according to Denver’s Road Home director Bennie Milliner.
In a recent meeting with The Denver Post’s editorial board, Milliner also said shelters had seen more occupants than ever before during the summer.
The problem reflects the continuing reverberation of the Great Recession. Some believe it is also due to the number of transients flowing into Colorado because of its lax marijuana laws, though no one knows for sure.
Nine years ago, John Hickenlooper, then Denver’s mayor, set a bold yet unattainable goal of ending homelessness in Denver by 2015. Clearly, that is not going to happen, but the city has made advances. In 2005, there were 942 chronically homeless people counted in Denver. This year, there are 577.
It is one of the city’s toughest problems. Faced with the tightest and most expensive housing market in its history, the city is trying to figure out how to find services and housing options for people who are struggling.
For two years, Mayor Michael Hancock has promised a 24-hour, rest and resource center for the homeless but was blocked by communities that didn’t want such a facility in their backyards.
Last week, the city announced a modified facility, calling it a “solutions center.” It is based on a successful model from Seattle and will be a place where homeless people can get referrals for services. It will provide behavioral health services for people in crisis and can serve as an alternative to jail or allow people to detox overnight.
It is a good solution to a vexing problem. But in the uptick of homelessness, it is just one more piece.
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