DENVER — More than 150 people living at a Denver hotel used as an emergency shelter during the pandemic will have to move out by mid-September, according to Denver's Department of Housing Stability.
Pat Romero Valdez moved into the Quality Inn at 2601 Zuni St. nine months ago. She said she's been experiencing homelessness for three years, and at times, living out of a car.
"I really want a place," Romero Valdez said. "I want to go home. I want to go home so bad because I haven’t had my own home."
On Aug. 17, the city sent out notices to 153 guests at the Quality Inn, including Romero Valdez.
“Everyone will have to be out by September the 16th," she said. “They didn’t give us enough notice. They really didn’t.”
The Quality Inn is one of three protective action hotels the City of Denver opened to shelter people experiencing homelessness who were most susceptible to COVID-19.
"These protective action shelters were part of COVID emergency response, and were always planned to be temporary," said Derek Woodbury, spokesperson for the Denver Department of Housing Stability. "As federal funds for this type of sheltering are anticipated to end, we have worked with our partners to begin transitioning guests to other facilities."
In a written statement provided to 9NEWS, Woodbury said the city is confident other options would be available to everyone who is at Quality Inn. Those options range from shelter to housing, he said.
"Everybody’s frantic, you know," Romero Valdez said. "Everybody’s sad. Everybody’s scared."
Romero Valdez said she's been in contact with a case manager, but she doesn't yet know where she'll be in 18 days.
“I had a place to go home to and it was warm, and now I don’t," she said.
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is leasing the Quality Inn through September, Woodbury said. There are two other protective action hotels, but space is limited.
"Shelter options are available for everyone. However, we have only a finite number of accommodations available in non-congregate shelters where guests are offered the privacy of their own room," Woodbury said. "There is not enough space in our remaining protective action hotels to accommodate everyone from the Quality Inn, though we have already made arrangements for some."
The City and County of Denver leases the Aloft Hotel downtown for use as an emergency shelter. Woodbury said the lease runs through December.
"The Aloft is a key element of our emergency response, and we will continue to monitor and adjust our non-congregate sheltering resources for persons experiencing homelessness, as needed," Woodbury said.
Romero Valdez said she's determined to find a place to live because she doesn't want to end up without a roof over her head.
“Nobody deserves to be on these streets," she said. "These streets are rough. They’re hard. They’re cold.”
Several residents at Quality Inn were expected to attend a city council meeting Monday evening to express their concerns.
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