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Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Homeless

Aurora council votes to fill homeless service provider funding gaps at quarterly workshop
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Approved, Denver Metro, denvergazette.com, Local

Aurora council votes to fill homeless service provider funding gaps at quarterly workshop

By Kyla Pearce | The Gazette While Aurora's councilmembers held differing opinions on how to handle dollars for homeless service providers, they eventually agreed to allocate federal money to several organizations, bringing a few of them to flat funding. The councilmembers, however, entirely cut funding to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Aurora's policymaking body earlier delayed a decision on funding homeless service providers. The debate about city funding for homeless service providers has been going on since city staffers recommended last year that the council cut or limit funds to several organizations that provide services to homeless people in Aurora following a dip in the local government's revenues. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Ordinance banning homeless encampment sweeps during frigid weather vetoed by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston
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denvergazette.com, Downtown Denver, Local

Ordinance banning homeless encampment sweeps during frigid weather vetoed by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston

By Noah Festenstein | The Gazette Denver Mayor Mike Johnston on Friday vetoed an ordinance approved by the City Council that would have banned homeless encampment sweeps during frigid temperatures, arguing it contravenes the city's camping ban.   Already, the councilmembers who sponsored the ordinance intend to bring it back before the council on Feb. 12, a move that signaled their attention to override the mayor's veto.  In Johnston's first veto since taking office in July, the mayor's office said the proposal "would make it more difficult for the city to help people experiencing homelessness get inside during cold, unsafe conditions." "Though well-intentioned, this legislation would restrict the city’s ability to do this life-saving work for approximately four ...
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Homeless Advocates Protest Denver Mayor’s Veto
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Approved, Denver Metro, Downtown Denver, Local, thelobby-co.com

Homeless Advocates Protest Denver Mayor’s Veto

By The Lobby Denver's homeless advocates gathered outside the City and County Building on Saturday morning to express their dissatisfaction with Mayor Mike Johnston's decision to veto a bill that would have prohibited homeless sweeps in freezing temperatures. Despite the frigid conditions, about a dozen members of Housekeys Action Network (HAND) showed up to voice their opposition to the mayor's announcement. The City Council Ordinance 23-1960, introduced in December, aimed to amend the municipal code to prevent various city agencies from clearing homeless encampments when temperatures dropped to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. However, on February 2, Mayor Johnston vetoed the "No Freezing Sweeps" ordinance, which had been passed by the Denver City Council with a narrow 7-6 vote. ...
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Denver City Council narrowly approves banning homeless camp sweeps below 32 degrees
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Denver City Council narrowly approves banning homeless camp sweeps below 32 degrees

By Noah Festenstein noah.festenstein@denvergazette.com Denver can no longer force homeless people to move from outside living situations during freezing temperatures, at least for the time being. The Denver City Council on Monday narrowly approved an ordinance to ban homeless encampment sweeps when temperatures fall below 32 degrees. The 7-6 vote in favor of the proposed ordinance was the closest vote in six months of action by the new Denver City Council. READ FULL ARTICLE ON COLORADOPOLITICS.COM
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Colorado’s illegal immigrant crisis hits the suburbs
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado’s illegal immigrant crisis hits the suburbs

By William Perry Pendley Americans are horrified by the nation’s illegal immigration crisis; it is their No. 1 issue, reports a new public opinion poll, edging out inflation. Once a concern for Arizona, California, Texas and New Mexico residents, it is now a national problem. After all, the sight at the border of multitudes of single, military-aged men from scores of countries with potentially incompatible civilizations, cultures or causes is at once stupefying and instructive. Because most are headed our way, we all live in border states. Unvetted, unvaccinated and uneducated, they are unprepared for life in America, even those Biden’s Border Patrol ushers in and to whom it provides monies, cell phones, and transport deep in country with court dates years in the future. One can only...
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Businesses Flee Denver in Mass Due to Safety Concerns and Remote Work Opportunities
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Approved, State, thelobby-co.com

Businesses Flee Denver in Mass Due to Safety Concerns and Remote Work Opportunities

By the Lobby The mass exodus of businesses from Denver has reached a critical point, with CEOs citing financial viability, safety concerns, and cleanliness as the driving factors behind their decision to pack up and leave. The city's policies and the influx of indigent migrants and homeless individuals have created an environment that is increasingly challenging for businesses and their employees. Denver's once highly coveted Mile High City office real estate market has lost its luster, and the consequences are evident. According to Moody's Analytics data, a staggering 21.7% of office space across the Denver metro area was vacant at the end of last year, surpassing the national average of 19.6%. The commercial real estate firm CBRE reported even more severe vacancy rates at 31.5%,...
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Denver concedes to homeless micro-community zoning code appeal
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Denver concedes to homeless micro-community zoning code appeal

By Noah Festenstein noah.festenstein@denvergazette.com A Denver resident on Tuesday successfully appealed the zoning decision to build a "micro-community" site in the Overland Park neighborhood in Denver, forcing Mayor Mike Johnston's office to refile the permit request. The successful appeal is unlikely to stop the building of the "micro-community" at 621 W. Wesley Ave., which already broke ground. But it offers a symbolic victory to residents opposed to the city's plans to erect "micro-communities" in their neighborhoods to house homeless people.   READ FULL ARTICLE ON DENVERGAZETTE.COM
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Denver’s Failed Universal Income Program Opens the Floodgates to Non-Citizen Migrants
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Approved, Downtown Denver, Local, thelobby-co.com

Denver’s Failed Universal Income Program Opens the Floodgates to Non-Citizen Migrants

SOURCE: THELOBBY-CO.COM In a controversial move that has sparked outrage among many citizens, the city of Denver's bankrupting sanctuary city policies have extended the eligibility of their failed universal income program to non-citizen migrants. The Denver Basic Income Program, which was initially introduced in 2021 with $2 million in funding from the city, has now announced its extension for another six months starting in February 2024. The program, which pays homeless individuals a regular stipend, was intended to assist citizens in need. However, the recent decision to include non-citizen migrants raises serious concerns about the city's financial stability and its commitment to prioritizing its own residents. According to the city's statement, the $2 million allocated ...
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The Cost of Doing Business in Denver: Senseless Policies & Band-Aid Bailouts
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Approved, Downtown Denver, Local, thelobby-co.com

The Cost of Doing Business in Denver: Senseless Policies & Band-Aid Bailouts

SOURCE: THELOBBY-CO.COM In a recent report by Axios Denver, the city's laughable attempt to salvage struggling businesses from the impact of nearby homeless encampments has laid bare the failures of Denver's misguided policies on housing immigrants, lax drug regulations, and the acceptance of near-permanent encampments. The situation reveals a city administration more adept at applying band-aids than addressing root issues, leaving businesses to bear the brunt. The controversial grant program, facilitated by the Denver Economic Development & Opportunity (DEDO) Programs since 2022, is nothing short of a desperate move to cover up the city's glaring policy missteps. A total of 69 businesses, teetering on the edge due to encampments, are now recipients of what amounts to...
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Aurora to buy property for homeless navigation campus
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Denver Metro, Local

Aurora to buy property for homeless navigation campus

By Kyla Pearce | SOURCE: DENVER GAZETTE The Aurora City Council voted Monday to move forward with a purchase agreement for a 13-acre hotel site for its future regional navigation campus.  The campus is intended to be a "one stop shop" for homeless services, helping direct people to shelters and resources, similar to the Colorado Springs Rescue Mission. The property is at 15550 E. 40th Ave. in Aurora, which is currently a Crowne Plaza hotel and convention center.  After some debate at Monday's meeting, the council voted to move forward with purchasing the land despite "no" votes from Councilmembers Curtis Gardner, Alison Coombs and Ruben Medina.  READ FULL ARTICLE ON DENVERGAZETTE.COM
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