DENVER — The city of Denver is backtracking on two micro-community sites for people living on the streets after getting feedback from the community. Privately-owned sites at 5500 E Yale Avenue and 1151 N. Bannock Street are off the list.
On Thursday, Mayor Mike Johnston's administration insisted they are still on track to get 1,000 people into shelter by the end of the year.
Crews are breaking ground at 1375 N. Elati St. in the Golden Triangle neighborhood for more than 40 manufactured sleeping units. This site will be ready to serve 60 people before December 31st, according to Cole Chandler, Johnston's senior advisor for homelessness resolution.
Chandler said two other micro-community sites will also open by the end of the year: 12033 E. 38th Avenue at the former Stay Inn Hotel and 2301 Santa Fe. Chandler believes 220 total units will be available by 2024 at these three sites.
"We are feeling very optimistic about the progress, and let me tell you why," he said. "Before the Johnston administration, we had never been able to close an encampment through housing. We have now done that twice. We did that at 8th and Logan at the end of September, and we did it this week at 21st and Curtis and overall brought about 200 indoors through those efforts and other outreach efforts."
The city has moved about 200 people off the streets, so there's 800 more to go.
Chandler is not concerned about reaching that goal in two months.
Johnston has said he wants to put a micro-community in every district. On Thursday, 9NEWS learned his office took two sites off their list: 5500 E Yale Avenue and 1151 N. Bannock Street.
The site at Yale Avenue didn't work due to community feedback and "feasibility," according to an aide for Councilmember Diana Romero Campbell, who represents District 4.
A spokesperson for Denver's Department of Housing Stability said the decision was made based on the criteria they have identified that include economic viability, projected site yield and consideration of other viable options, in addition to community feedback.
For the site on Bannock Street, Councilmember Chris Hinds said the decision was due to community feedback and issues with a sinkhole. The Bannock site was the second micro-community location proposed in the Golden Triangle neighborhood.
"The city weighed balancing the need for us to tackle this citywide versus concentrating in one small area," Hinds said.
According to the city, residents have expressed interest in finding another alternate site in District 10 and they will continue to explore other viable options as they arise.
The two sites off the proposed list are not part of the three tiny home locations Chandler said will open by January.
"We have opened one 195-unit hotel. That is about full," Chandler said. "We have a 300-unit hotel that is working its way through city council right now. We have these 220 micro-community units that are moving forward, and we have a couple other hotels that are in the works that we are getting ready to file along and bring forward towards council."
As temperatures drop, the city is confident their progress is on track.
"We know we have something people want. Now we have a race until the end of the year to get these units online," he said.
You can track the House1000 progress on the dashboard here.
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