Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s plan to ensure downtown sidewalks stay free of homeless encampments will rely in part on an app, roving “ambassadors,” and better coordination between the city and outside partners, he said Monday.
Clad in a branded yellow vest from the new Denver Ambassadors program, Johnston announced the initiative as well as the expanded reach of the Clean & Safe smartphone app. He joined city and nonprofit officials at the headquarters of the at 22nd and Curtis streets — two blocks from what until last month was a massive encampment outside the downtown post office.
The camp’s residents were among more than 1,000 people moved to hotels and other temporary accommodations by the end of 2023 under the mayor’s House 1,000 initiative. Monday’s announcement was aimed at building on that effort, and the new program also will involve coordination with police, nonprofit groups and private security guards.
The city will work with the Downtown Denver Partnership and other nonprofits, including the Dream Center, a community service group.
The partnership launched the Clean & Safe app in the summer of 2021 to allow people to report problems they see downtown — illegal camping, trash or other things that would not warrant a 911 call. Working with the Johnston administration, the organization is now expanding the app’s coverage area beyond the that it manages to other downtown-adjacent areas where encampments have been a common concern, spokeswoman Britt Diehl said Monday.
Once someone logs a complaint into the app, a dispatcher will identify and send the appropriate responder, whether it be a city public works truck driver for trash cleanup or a nonprofit outreach worker who specializes in working with people who are homeless, Johnston said at the unveiling event.
The yellow-vest-clad ambassadors won’t be new employees or volunteers. They will be a collection of Denver city employees, nonprofit workers and private security guards who already work downtown and can serve as visible sources of information and support for residents and visitors.
Johnston said Monday that 650 people would be involved in the program across all participating agencies, with roughly 30 to 40 sporting their vests in the downtown area at any given time.
“I think what you see here is a comprehensive approach to how to take on (ensuring) a beautiful and safe downtown,” Johnston said.
In an interview after the event, Johnston highlighted the importance of a unified system for communication and response to problems in the urban core after the House 1,000 sheltering effort resulted in the clearing of many encampments.
Denver police Chief Ron Thomas and Public Safety Director Armando Saldate donned yellow vests at the event. While Johnston said police will be part of the city’s strategy, the app and ambassador program will allow for frequent responses by people who aren’t uniformed officers.
In some cases, he said, that will reduce tension during interactions. It also will give Denver police time to focus on other calls around the city.
“I think it’s going to have a very significant impact on the lived experience” downtown, Johnston said of the new program.
Denver Dream Center CEO Bryan Sederwall said staff members from his group will be the first responders to many calls that don’t involve a threat to public safety. The organization employs people who previously have been homeless, incarcerated or faced other challenges, and they focus on supporting people with unmet needs, he said.
“We can walk up with a cup of coffee or a bottle of water and have a conversation,” Sederwall said, while describing what a response to a report of illegal camping might look like. “We want to learn their name, hear their story and (see) how we can help.”
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Updated (at 6:03 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2024):This story has been updated to reflect that the Clean & Safe app has been available, covering a portion of downtown Denver, since June 2021. Under the new city initiative, its coverage area has been expanded and more service providers have been added to the pool of potential responders.
