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Denver, CO. The Real Numbers in Denver’s Recent Housing Surge

June 28, 2022 by Jonathan Leave a Comment

The City of Denver recently completed the second Housing Surge – a 100-day effort to get people housing that was made possible by federal COVID funding. In this Housing Surge, which ended in late May, 359 households and 597 individuals were connected with housing. You can read the City’s press release about this surge here. 

We are so glad that these 597 people have a better housing situation right now – we know these individuals are relieved and glad to be in housing. 

That said… these 359 housing connections are not what you may think they are when you look at the details. We received data from the City on the types of housing connections made in this housing surge. 

This data reveals that about half of the housing connections made were temporary – rapid re-housing vouchers which only last 1 year. Reunification with family or friends was counted as a housing connection regardless of whether this is a safe, lasting, desired situation for the individual. Over half of the housing connections were made through vouchers. About three quarters of the housing connections that were for permanent housing units were in existing supportive housing units which always have massive waitlists of people seeking that housing. No new housing was created during this housing surge. Only 22 housing connections were new long term housing assistance (in the form of lifetime vouchers) that did not previously exist in Denver. All other long term housing units / vouchers used in this surge already existed in Denver with long waitlists of poor and houseless people. 

Here is the breakdown of the numbers:  

Rapid re-housing – 126 

Reunified with family or friends – 83

Permanent supportive housing – 78

Market-rate housing – 28

Emergency housing vouchers (long term) – 22

Affordable unit (e.g., public housing) – 5

(Note: due to different sources and tracking of this information the total does not equal 359; there is some overlap in tracking in these ways; this is how we received the info from the City) 

We also received demographic information for those who had a housing connection in this surge. That information is below.

If we ever want to actually end houselessness and have housing available for all, we must be real about the numbers. Saying the City housed 359 households in 100 days sounds great, but it hides the reality that only a tiny fraction of that is new long-term housing assistance – and none of it is new low income housing units. While the surge is great for the 597 people in housing right now, it does not change the availability of low income housing options for people in Denver. Aside from the 22 long-term housing vouchers given out, this surge did not create any long-term housing options for poor and houseless people in Denver that did not already exist. 

Let’s be real with the numbers so we can really create the housing needed. 

Housekeys Action Network Denver 

Demographics –

Clients Age Tier

Count of HouseholdUniqueIdentifier

Clients Age TierCount of HouseholdUniqueIdentifier
0 to 17116
18 to 2459
25 to 3493
35 to 4481
45 to 5443
55 to 6469
65 or Above20
Undefined1
Male248
Female184
Transgender8
Non-binary1
Unknown1

Filed Under: Civil & Human Rights, Colorado, Denver, Events, Housekeys Action Network Denver, WRAP Members, WRAP Members

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Part 12... Infractions and Due Process Rights Ant Part 12...
Infractions and Due Process Rights 
Anti-homeless laws and ordinances and their application have, in fact, created a loophole that allows for the circumvention of a homeless person’s right to due process under law. The process by which homeless people face repeated incarceration generally follows this scenario: A homeless man is sleeping on the sidewalk. A local ordinance makes it illegal to do so. The man gets a ticket and is later arrested for not paying the ticket. He spends a couple of days in jail, and is just as homeless now as he was before, only now he has a criminal record. This was the case for many of the individuals interviewed by RWHP. One man relayed the familiar scenario, “I was sleeping in a tent in a hidden spot near the freeway. They gave me a ticket for trespassing. I don’t have money to pay it. I’ve never been in jail before. I keep to myself, but now they’re going to make me a convict just for sleeping.”
SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT TALKING DOWN THE PEOPLES TOWMH SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT TALKING DOWN THE PEOPLES TOWMHOMES ENCAMPMENT https://www.instagram.com/tv/ChAT9N5jNTY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This morning @phillysheriff ‘s came and evicted our protest encampment to Save the UC Townhomes. When asked why they were doing it, Rochelle Bilal responded that she “felt compassion for the townhomes residents but was just doing my job”

Even if the tents are gone WE AINT GOIN NOWHERE‼️
Saturday AUGUST 27 — 9 am to 4pm Sunday AUGUST 2 Saturday AUGUST 27 — 9 am to 4pm
Sunday AUGUST 28 — 12:30pm to 4pm

Westminster Presbyterian Church
1300 N Street, Sacramento

https://wraphome.org/2022/08/02/sacramento-ca-advocates-community-summit-on-homelessness-august-27-28th/
California. (S)Care Court Hearing Tomorrow 8/3 Las California. (S)Care Court Hearing Tomorrow 8/3 Last Hearing before floor Vote
https://conta.cc/3vzRoWo
Part 11 ... California’s “anti-Okie” laws of Part 11 ...
California’s “anti-Okie” laws of the 1930s and the South’s Jim Crow laws in effect from the late 1800s to the 1950s are examples of the kinds of local laws overturned in previous generations. Yet, modern “quality of life” legislation and enforcement targeting homeless people can be found in communities across the nation.
The City Council postponed their vote on the 41.18 The City Council postponed their vote on the 41.18 expansion to August 2nd. If passed, this motion will add approximately 1,900 additional sites–a 376% increase in exclusionary zones across the city. 41.18 would then cover at least 88 sq miles (that’s 20% of the entire city).

Services Not Sweeps is urging EVERYONE to come to City Hall at 9:00am on August 2 and tell City Council that 41.18 is BAD POLICY and should be repealed.

When we fight, we win. 
But this fight isn’t over.

The community flooded City Hall inside and out on Wednesday to protest the expansion of 41.18 but the fight is not over. It’s clear that President Nury Martinez and friends weren’t prepared for our numbers and realized they were unable to rally their (few but loud) 41.18 supporters. Council delayed the vote to Tuesday August 2nd in an attempt to erode our momentum and stifle our voices. 
 
We won’t let that happen. The fight now is to keep the pressure on and show up next week!! See you next Tuesday 9am. Bring a friend.
 
WHO: You and your friends!
WHERE: City Hall, 200 N Spring St 
WHEN: Tuesday August 2nd at 9:00am
HOW: Read more details on our toolkit.
AGENDA ITEM 14 https://lacity.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=102513
Part 10... In fact, however, enforcement is very m Part 10...
In fact, however, enforcement is very much impacted by both skin color and appearance. Local governments cannot legally discriminate against people strictly because they do not have housing. Federal protections prohibit local and state governments from removing people from their communities due to the color of their skin or economic/employment status.
Part 9... This nationwide pattern has escaped Civi Part 9... This nationwide pattern has escaped Civil Rights protections because on their face, these programs are not clearly discriminatory. Local laws are often drafted in such a way as to appear to apply equally to all people in a community.
Part 8... While certain communities highlight diff Part 8...
While certain communities highlight different controls at different times, often depending upon the outcome of local elections and legislative and court efforts, all have one primary common goal: to remove the presence and resulting impact of people without housing from local communities. As the Mayor of Las Vegas stated when she outlawed feeding people in city parks: “If we stop feeding them, they will leave.”
Part 7... This type of ticket is not uncommon. The Part 7...
This type of ticket is not uncommon. The most common public space and activity restrictions are those aimed at camping, sitting, lying, or trespassing on either public or private land, panhandling, sleeping, blocking the sidewalk and possessing “stolen property,” such as shopping carts and milk crates—to name just a few. Furthermore, these restrictions are often implemented in conjunction with the closure of public parks and the outlawing of free food and clothing distribution.
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2 days ago
Part 12...
Infractions and Due Process Rights 

Anti-homeless laws and ordinances and their application have, in fact, created a loophole that allows for the circumvention of a homeless person’s right to due process under law. The process by which homeless people face repeated incarceration generally follows this scenario: A homeless man is sleeping on the sidewalk. A local ordinance makes it illegal to do so. The man gets a ticket and is later arrested for not paying the ticket. He spends a couple of days in jail, and is just as homeless now as he was before, only now he has a criminal record. This was the case for many of the individuals interviewed by RWHP. One man relayed the familiar scenario, “I was sleeping in a tent in a hidden spot near the freeway. They gave me a ticket for trespassing. I don’t have money to pay it. I’ve never been in jail before. I keep to myself, but now they’re going to make me a convict just for sleeping.”
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8 Aug 1556771690356453376

Part 12...
Infractions and Due Process Rights
Anti-homeless laws and ordinances and their application have, in fact, created a loophole that allows for the circumvention of a homeless person’s right to due process under law.

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8 Aug 1556762429144514561

SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT TALKING DOWN THE PEOPLES TOWMHOMES ENCAMPMENT
“felt compassion for the townhomes residents but was just doing my job”
Even if the tents are gone WE AINT GOIN NOWHERE‼️

Image for the Tweet beginning: SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT TALKING DOWN THE Twitter feed image.
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