New Shelter Designed To Bring People Off The Streets
DENVER (CBS4) - I drove along Lawrence and Park near Denver's Ballpark Neighborhood on Thursday and found many residents hanging out in makeshift tents. During the day, the number of homeless appeared to be about half of what I saw on Saturday night while also at the same location.
There is a new hope on the horizon that might cut down on the growing number of homeless in the Denver metro area. On Monday, a new day shelter is expected to open next to the Denver Rescue Mission.
Dave Schunk, the Chief Financial Officer of the Denver Rescue Mission told me, "If we can do our work here, rather than out on the street... Success we'll see at an individual level, we'll see people connected quicker to services."
For that to happen the first step is getting the homeless off the street even if it's into a building with a partial roof.
There are cynics to the day shelter.
"I don't see anything good coming from it," said Ballpark Neighborhood Javier Carrera.
Carrera lives and works in that neighborhood surrounded by new lofts and apartments. The neighborhood association lost a court challenge last month to stop the facility from opening.
"They camp up there, the police try to clean it up, ends up the same two days later," said Carrera.
How many homeless might be helped? Alexxa Gagner of the Denver Rescue Mission told me that's unknown. However, she noted what should help is "having a restroom, having to be able to use a shower, we're also going to have a laundry facility."
When I pointed out that you're always going to have homeless, Schunk agreed. When asked about whether the homeless population would be half what it is now, he responded, "You know it's hard to say."
The new day shelter cost $8.6 million.
Howard Nathan is a veteran newsman. Decades later, he still enjoys writing a clever sentence, asking the tough question and talking to people in Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Howard and read his bio.