DENVER — Denver is trying to do something few cities have and do it quickly. Mayor Mike Johnston wants to move 1,000 people off the streets and into temporary housing by the end of the year.
Hundreds have moved into hotels but that's not the long-term goal.
"The end goal is housing," said Kristen Baluyot, the Denver Metro Social Services director of Salvation Army.
Since September, Salvation Army in the former Best Western at 4595 Quebec Street has welcomed 234 guests – 168 of those, or 71%, have come from encampments.
"The easy part, surprisingly, is getting people in and situated into the new hotels," she said.
Baluyot is surprised at how quickly the city is clearing encampments. For her, the harder part is moving people out of hotel rooms.
Salvation Army said the total number of people who have moved into a house situation – such as a rental with ongoing subsidy, or staying with family – is 10. Two of those were people who came from encampments.
"Working to get people their documentation, any benefits they might need for enrollments can take a long time," she said.
A hotel room is supposed to be temporary. Baluyot said for most at the hotel, moving out could take about six months.
According to the Salvation Army, the barriers to housing people are the lack of vital documents, legal backgrounds, mental health needs and substance misuse. The organization said there is a new housing program that will work onsite with case managers to help assist with finding appropriate housing that matches the needs of a person.
Baluyot said there are not enough sustainable housing resources available for the people they serve.
Many of their clients depend on social security or other public benefits for income which usually totals about $900 a month. That is challenging when Denver is getting more expensive to live in.
"People can't sustain those rents that is why there is a huge need for affordable housing," Baluyot said.
There have been questions about whether people will stay in hotels once they move in.
At the former Best Western, the Salvation Army said 38 people have been discharged – 28 of those have been for either attendance or disciplinary reasons. If a person doesn't spend the night in their room for three nights in a row without notifying staff, they are at risk of losing their room.
Salvation Army said they have discharged more people for attendance than they have for disciplinary.
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