Denver Mayor Mike Johnston gives update to plan to remove 1,000 homeless from streets

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston gave an update on his plan to remove 1,000 people experiencing homelessness from the streets on Wednesday. Now, he's authorizing the removal of a homeless camp. 

He said the decision to remove the camp is about public health. 

"We have started what will be 7-day notice postings to all these locations. We have focused really on places where we have significant public health risks. This was a place where we had a significant rat infestation in the encampments, we were very worried about the health and safety of the folks who were in that encampment as well as the surrounding neighborhood," said Johnston. 

A homeless advocate group claims the camp iss located at 22nd and Stout. They said part of the problem is that businesses put out rocks to make the habitat more friendly for rodents. 

Johnston said he will visit the camp on Thursday. 

Additional Information from the Emergency Operations Center:

The Emergency Operations Center is monitoring and re-evaluating the city's practices around encampments. The policies and procedures for encampment clean-up and closures have been amended to better connect residents of these camps to dignified, indoor options. While the city has changed how it responds to encampments, those which pose public health and safety risks, obstruct the public right-of-way, or are located on private property will be moved and cleaned up with advance notice and outreach to residents of these sites. The amended and expanded procedures include:

• Posting notice 7 days in advance of all encampment closures to allow those living in the encampment time to gather their belongings and plan next steps
• Providing an additional letter to individuals outlining outreach efforts to support the encampment scheduled for closure, as well as the city's goals to connect 1,000 Denverites to indoor options including housing and shelter by the end of the year
• Regular visits by HOST outreach teams to help connect people living in encampments to resources and housing support
• Providing mental and physical health and wellness services through the city's Wellness Willie Mobile Unit
• Implementing a later start time for encampment closures by ensuring no enforcement efforts begin before 7 AM

While the city has changed how it responds to encampments, those which pose public health and safety risks, encampments that obstruct the public right-of-way, or are located on private property will be moved and cleaned up with advance notice and significant outreach to residents of these sites.

As the city works toward its goals of bringing 1000 people indoors and permanently close encampments, Mayor Johnston is committed to hearing from members of the public through regular town halls in every council district. Mayor Johnston has also convened seven working groups of Denver residents representing a wide variety of industries and constituencies, including the unhoused community, the faith community, construction and labor leaders, builders and land-use experts, the business community, and neighborhood organizations to gather feedback while working to identify innovative solutions to embrace an intentional citywide approach. 

Additionally, the city is working to identify funding sources for this effort. Last week, our commitment to build thousands of units of affordable housing was accepted by the State of Colorado, making Denver eligible to apply for Proposition 123 funding. In addition, HOST submitted an application for federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars to acquire, build, and operate a regional navigation center for homelessness, which will help to establish an encampment resolution program that connects people experiencing unsheltered homelessness through outreach to housing, bridge housing, shelter, and wrap-around support services.

The city is also partnering with the Denver Housing Authority to support the acquisition of a 194-unit hotel in Denver to be redeveloped into permanent supportive housing. The city plans to lease the hotel from the Denver Housing Authority for use as non-congregate shelter prior to its conversion to supportive housing.

To see dates upcoming locations, dates, and times of upcoming townhall meetings, visit denvergov.org/house1000.