Neighbors of a hotel on Hampden Avenue set to be acquired by the city in March aren’t thrilled about it housing the homeless.
The Embassy Suites would be used for families with Children. The Salvation Army would move 120 tenants from another location into the hotel. Ninety of those tenants will be under the age of 4, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said. That would leave 90 units which could be used to house families on a 130-family waiting list immediately.
The city applied for a change with the zoning administrator to operate the building as a shelter instead of a hotel. A public hearing last week was required as part of the process.
Most who spoke opposed to shelter use
Although many people spoke in opposition to the hotel’s use as a shelter, one father of a three-year-old said he supports it. He plans to continue playing with his child at Rosemont and Bible parks.
One man wondered if the homeless people would be required to pick up trash to give back to the community. City staff mentioned there are several work programs.
Mayor tries to alleviate safety concerns
To alleviate concerns about safety, Johnston stressed that the hotel will operate with security, wraparound services such as mental health care, and case management. This sets their clients up to succeed and not to create problems, he said. He said unlike congregant shelters, encampments usually don’t form outside the hotels. Johnston said there is around the clock staffing and no walk-up guests are allowed.
One Salvation Army official said they have zero tolerance for drug or alcohol use on the property. The same goes for domestic violence. However, residents who have been drinking off site aren’t banned entry. “How many of you have ever gone out and had a drink with a friend?” the Salvation Army representative asked. “And how many of you ever had anyone in your family say, well, you’ve had a drink you can’t come in?”
Business owner shouts at mayor
One business owner shouted her concerns at the mayor. “Who wants to live in the neighborhood next to the homeless?” the woman asked. She also expressed concerns about property values.
Johnston said data from the assessor’s office shows that properties within a half-mile of Fusion Studios, a similar homeless hotel at 3737 Quebec, have gone up more than 5% more than in other areas of the city in the four years Fusion has been there.
City gets up to 8,000 calls about encampments
Johnston said the city gets between 6,000 and 8,000 calls per year about encampments. Chief Ron Thomas said he’s happy the mayor is decommissioning the encampments so that officers hopefully can begin to focus on other problems in the city.
Council member Sarah Parady noted that 79% of the clients in Salvation Army family hotels exit to permanent housing.
