DENVER — Tucked away between a neighborhood and a highway, a collection of 60 tiny homes is Denver’s newest hope for solving homelessness.
By the end of this week, every bed in the new La Paz Micro-Community will be full of people who are currently sleeping on the street. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston says four walls, a mattress and a desk are enough to change lives.
"We think the first strategy if you want to address unsheltered homelessness is getting people off of the streets, and getting people into transitional housing and shelter," Johnston said.
Johnston’s homelessness plan has always started with bringing people inside, no questions asked.
"That means we do not screen up front to say, 'Have you already gone through a drug rehab program? Have you already gone through a workforce training program? Have you already completed mental health services?'" Johnston said at a news conference Monday, opening the tiny homes. "What we know is that it’s very hard to receive those services if you’re living in a tent every night."
While Denver operates four hotels for the homeless, the city says these micro-communities cost about a quarter of the price per unit.
The mayor’s office estimates that each of the 60 tiny homes costs somewhere around $30,000. When you take into account how much the city is spending to buy or lease hotels, that breaks down to about $100,000 per hotel room.
Still, the challenge has always been figuring out where to put micro-communities.
Denver City Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez represents the Overland neighborhood in south Denver, off Santa Fe Drive. Even she acknowledges the only services nearby are the ones that are being brought in inside these fences.
"I have heard a lot from the community, and I want them to know that I hear them," Alvidrez said. "There’s a big concern about pushing people out of downtown and bringing them into other neighborhoods like this beautiful neighborhood of Overland and how that’s going to impact such a small community. There’s no RTD access here. There’s no grocery store in this neighborhood. Things like that."
Denver had planned to open 120 tiny homes here in the Overland neighborhood but cut the number in half after neighbors like Douglas Danger complained.
"I think it’s a bad idea for this type of neighborhood," Danger said. "This is a very, very small neighborhood. We’re only 120 houses big. By the time they’re done, they’re effectively going to double the size of the neighborhood."
Danger says he spoke out at community meetings for months, encouraging the city to put the micro-community elsewhere.
"There’s no curfew. There’s really no boundaries for them. They can roam around here in the middle of the night," Danger said. "We’re nowhere near services here. There’s not a King Soopers or a Safeway anywhere close to here."
While some worry about what it will bring, the first residents offered a bed and a roof will start moving in tomorrow.
"We think we’ve brought really some of the best talent with the most expertise to make this site a real success, and we’re optimistic it will be," Johnston said.
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