Denver, CO
Denver wants to move those experiencing homelessness directly into permanent housing
![Denver wants to move those experiencing homelessness directly into permanent housing](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/66a8fbd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1280x672+0+24/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc0%2F75%2Ff8d2c9d54626b31e465642937184%2Fhomeless-camp.png)
DENVER — Hundreds of unhoused people could be moved directly into permanent leased housing under a new program the city is considering.
The city began testing the Street to Lease program earlier this year as part of Mayor Mike Johnston’s ongoing efforts to fight homelessness.
During the pilot program, the city moved 12 people from a small encampment in Council District 8 directly into permanent housing.
Right now, unhoused people who accept city services are moved into temporary housing.
The city wants to use $5 million in pandemic funding to expand the Street to Lease program.
This would allow the city to move 250 unhoused people directly into permanent housing within 30 days of outreach.
Most of the money, about $4.2 million, would be used to pay their rent and utilities for up to a year, city officials said.
“This is a program that HOST (Department of Housing Stability) has intended to deploy for some time,” said Cole Chandler, the mayor’s senior homelessness advisor.
Chandler, who appeared before the city council’s housing committee on Wednesday, said money had already been set aside for the program.
“We’re now at a place where we’re ready to bring it forward and implement that,” said Chander.
The city plans to contract with Housing Connector, a nonprofit focused on helping people access affordable housing.
Housing Connector will help the city identify available housing units. They will also help process payments.
“They’re able to really be a strong liaison. And if there are challenges that are coming up with an individual in the housing unit, they’re able to work through those and sort through those with the landlord,” Chandler said.
Like with District 8, the city would focus on providing permanent housing to people living at smaller encampments throughout the city.
“The goal is to spread them out in the city of Denver, but also give them options so that they can choose where they want to live,” said Will Goodale with Housing Connector.
Denver wants to move those experiencing homelessness directly into permanent housing
Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer said the program appeared to be more promising than other homelessness programs the city spent money on.
But she and others were concerned about how the city plans to pay for the program long-term, given that pandemic funding is running out and city agencies having to cut their budgets due to the immigration crisis.
“You cannot have sustainable programs without a sustainable funding source,” said Sawyer.
Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore told Chandler there was not a lot of time left to figure out how the city would pay for this program and others that depend on pandemic funding.
“The majority of those funds are one-time funds,” said Gilmore. “They’re not going to magically appear again, ever.”
Chandler said city officials were having “critical conversations” about its long-term spending plan.
“We’re evaluating that as we look forward into the 2025, 2026 and beyond budget,” Chandler said. “I think that this is a program that is worth investing in and is worth bringing into our community.”
Gilmore also pressed Chandler about the overall spending of the mayor’s All In Mile High Homeless initiative.
“We were told by May 10 we would have the numbers around what is the All In Mile High’s true operating costs,” said Gilmore.
She asked Chandler if he could tell her the annual costs of that program.
“I mean you should know it,” said Gilmore.
“We’re still actively working on that,” Chandler replied. “We have a presentation for [the finance and governance committee] on June 18 where we’re planning to bring those items forward,” Chandler said.
Gilmore has been seeking the spending numbers for months and said it was disappointing that she even had to ask that question in a televised committee meeting.
“This is bordering on ridiculousness now. It’s embarrassing not to be able to tell a constituent what this costs,” said Gilmore. “It was early May and now June.”
Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez said she feels hopeful about the Street to Lease program and wants to know how the city is going to get participants into a position where they can pay their own rent.
“I feel like if people are investing something in this program, they’ll get more out of the program,” said Alvidrez.
Chandler said the city does not require people in its homelessness programs to meet with case managers.
But he said there are plenty available, about one case manager for every 20 people.
“While it’s non-compulsory, we’re working actively with individuals to help them get access to services,” said Chandler.
The city council’s housing committee advanced the city’s $5 million request on Wednesday, but some council members said they were on the fence about whether to give it final approval due to concerns about its long-term funding.
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Denver, CO
Dangerous heat to start the week in Denver
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Denver, CO
Colorado weather: 90-degree heat returns to Denver, afternoon thunderstorms over the plains
![Colorado weather: 90-degree heat returns to Denver, afternoon thunderstorms over the plains](https://www.denverpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/TDP-L-denver050724-cha-1580.jpg?w=1024&h=683)
After two days of heavy rain, large hail and damaging winds, a prolonged heat wave is set to hit Colorado on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
“Heat incoming! Prolonged period of above-normal temps expected through next week,” the weather service wrote Saturday in a social media post.
Temperatures are expected to spike into the upper 90s in the metro area, Interstate 25 corridor and Eastern Plains, NWS forecasters said. The plains will see 100-degree weather on Sunday and Monday.
While temperatures in the Denver area likely won’t hit 100 degrees this week, it might come close, forecasters said. The city will see a high of 91 degrees Saturday before the heat jumps into the upper 90s Sunday and Monday, topping out around 97 degrees.
Overnight Saturday, temperatures will cool to a low of 62 degrees, NWS forecasters said.
Despite the potential for afternoon rain showers and thunderstorms entering the picture for the Denver area Tuesday, a below-90-degree day is not on the forecast, according to NWS.
The Denver area can expect a hot, dry weekend, but thunderstorms will hit the Eastern Plains Saturday afternoon and eveningNWS forecasters said. The storms will produce wind gusts of up to 45 mph, but forecasters don’t expect hail or tornado touchdowns.
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Denver, CO
Ask Amy: Gender transition highlights host’s rudeness
![Ask Amy: Gender transition highlights host’s rudeness](https://www.denverpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/amy-dickinson.jpg?w=1000&h=726)
Dear Readers: The following Q&A first ran in 2020.
Dear Amy: A couple of years ago, an acquaintance of ours hosted a dinner party. I was only acquainted with half the people there. The hostess didn’t make introductions.
One person present was someone I had met a few times. (I’ll call her “Jane.”)
I knew that Jane had a partner, “Joan,” whom I had only met once years before.
At the dinner, Jane was sitting next to a man.
At one point I stared across the table because I was trying to determine if this was Jane’s brother, or if Joan was transitioning to male.
I admit that I feel bad for staring, but I was trying to figure out if we had met.
We spoke briefly afterward, and they made no attempt to reintroduce themselves to me.
After they left, the hostess explained that Joan was now “John” and how they hate to have to explain themselves or their pronoun, which is “they.”
I tried to joke: “I didn’t get the memo.” To which the hostess replied, “It wasn’t my memo to send.”
I think the hostess could have spared some social awkwardness with one quick sentence privately, like “Joan is John now, deal with it,” which would have been fine with me.
I am still angry with the hostess for leaving us floundering as to who was at the party. What do you think?
— Befuddled Guest
Dear Befuddled: Let us for a moment go back to nursery school. Have you ever noticed that when children don’t know other kids’ names, they don’t talk to them?
Names: We have them for a reason.
Now let’s talk about this hostess. Who invites a bunch of previously unacquainted (or semi-acquainted) people to their home and then doesn’t introduce (or re-introduce) them to each other at the beginning of the evening? I mean, if you’re going to make a cassoulet, you can certainly make an introduction.
Now onto you. In the absence of hostess-courtesy, why didn’t you introduce yourself to people? “Hi, I’m Befuddled Guest. But please, you can call me Befuddled. Tell me your name?” If the person answers by saying, “We’ve met before” (I get this a lot), you can say — as I always do — “Oh, I’m so sorry, I’ve forgotten that. Remind me of your name?”
I agree that it is not the hostess’s job to deliver the memo about a guest’s gender transition in advance of the party. It IS the hostess’s job to introduce her guests to one another.
If you know someone’s name, you don’t have to ponder or puzzle over their gender. Granted, “John” is likely a male. “Courtney” might be a man or a woman. But gender identity doesn’t matter, because when you know someone’s name, you can just address them by their name, see them as fellow humans, and take it from there.
Dear Amy: I wanted to respond to the recent letter from “Befuddled,” in which a husband laments the estrangement between his wife and her sister. Your advice was beautifully written.
As an RN of some 45 years, I have seen the awfulness of unresolved estrangements, which can be decades long.
I could recount way too many situations, during end-of-life discussions in which it was appropriate to discontinue life support.
But if a family member is estranged from a loved one, once the person dies, so too does any hope of reconciliation.
It is these very people who often struggle with what’s called “complex grief.”
So many times, we nurses would hear stories that break your heart: Each person was longing for the other one to make that first phone call, and apologize.
Of course, many times no one could even recall what exactly was said so many years ago that led to such a fracture between loved ones.
Life is short. Regrets can tear us up.
— Nursing Some Hurts
Dear Nursing: Estrangement seems to be a particularly heartbreaking trend (at least in the questions sent to me). Your perspective is so valuable. Thank you for offering it. I hope your words inspire people to reconsider their relationships and seek ways to reconcile, if possible.
Dear Amy: “Passively Helpful Guy” seems to think that if he offers to help people, he’ll be trapped in an endless loop of offering assistance.
I suggest he try it, just once.
Yes, we should all learn to ask for help — and also learn how to offer it.
— Faithful Reader
Dear Faithful: Exactly. Thank you.
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
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