DENVER — While Denver’s focus on solving homelessness expands, the city is also taking away money from a program that gives people a safe place to sleep in their cars. Just six months after awarding the Colorado Safe Parking Initiative more than half a million dollars to expand, the city is now taking money away.
The City of Denver won’t say exactly how much money, or why the money was taken away, or where the money was reallocated to.
Terrell Curtis, the executive director Colorado Safe Parking Initiative, says $400,000 of the $600,000 allocated in June was cut by the newly elected Johnston administration in June.
"My heart sank. I’ve never seen that happen," Curtis said. "What happens for the folks who park in our safe lots here in Denver when the rest of that fund does run out?"
For four years now, the Colorado Safe Parking Initiative has run lots on private land for people needing a place to stay in their cars. There’s a bathroom, security cameras, and most importantly, a sense of safety.
"So that you’re not wandering the streets trying to find a place where you’re going to be out of the way, because it’s not legal anywhere in Denver to stay overnight in your vehicle," Curtis said. "Most of the folks that we see are homeless for the first time. Within the last year they’ve become homeless."
The city says there have been concerns with spending and reporting once the money was given to the program. It’s a concern that Curtis acknowledges.
"As a startup, we were really slow at getting caught up with our billing and reporting requirements to the city. But they were aware of that all along," Curtis said. "We worked together on what we were doing and how to address that issue. And while we were in the middle of that, they invited us to take another $600,000."
As Denver puts a huge focus on homelessness, safe parking lots offer an alternative to shelters or tiny homes that some people might not feel comfortable in.
"We see people who can’t access traditional shelters," Curtis said.
Some have pets, some want to stay with their partners. Others have jobs and can’t get to the jobs they have if they stay at a shelter. A lot of these safe parking sites are in more suburban neighborhoods in church parking lots, closer to where a lot of people need to be for work.
In 2022, Next viewers raised more than $100,000 for the nonprofit through a Word of Thanks micro-giving campaign.
The Safe Parking Initiative has lots in five of the seven metro counties. They don’t serve a huge number of people, only about 110 every night. But for those people who need a temporary place to stay until they get back on their feet, the lots are a critical alternative to the shelters.
Without this money, a safe place to stay in Denver might be taken away.
"These folks are going to be relegated back to the streets and back to roaming neighborhoods trying to find a place they feel safe enough to park," Curtis said.
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