ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. — Denver says it regrets opening a shelter in Adams County and sending migrants there without adequately notifying the county.
The shelter at a hotel off Interstate 25 opened in late September. Adams County said Denver notified them on a Friday that it would be operational the following Monday -- a timeframe with which county health leaders took issue.
"We're working to just assure that information is flowing," Adams County Health Department Director Kelly Weidenbach said at a specially-called meeting of the county Board of Health last week.
The board authorized a public health order mandating disclosures by any entity running a migrant shelter within the county, including requirements that would mean Denver needs to disclose personal information and health data on each migrant at the shelter.
The information, the health department said, will help with contact tracing if there is an outbreak of a communicable disease like tuberculosis.
"The population is considered a vulnerable population, high risk," Weidenbach said.
"We have concerns about such a broad request for personal information," a Denver spokesperson said in an emailed statement Monday. "We continue to work with Adams County to address their concerns and provide them with as much information as possible."
On Monday, Denver said it was sheltering just over 3,000 migrants -- and has supported 24,415 since the influx began, at a total cost of more than $28 million.
"They’re just people trying to survive, trying to make a home here. They just need a little bit to start," said Yoli Casas, the executive director of ViVe Wellness, a nonprofit that works with the city to help find places for migrants to live.
She said the lack of communication between Denver and Adams County caused a level of discomfort -- but also resulted in a lesson learned.
"We have to communicate when we go to another county, of course," she said.
As winter approaches, she worries more jurisdictions won't willingly help Denver shoulder the burden of ever-increasing numbers of migrants. The result could be more migrant families living on Denver's streets without a place to go this winter, she said.
"It’s really important for us to do this together," she said.
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