Denver, CO
Former case manager details safety, other concerns with Denver homeless shelter as city auditor releases new report
Fear has reached its tipping point for a former case manager at one of Denver’s homeless shelters.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” she said. “And I’ve worked in low-income facilities.”
The former case manager shared her experience anonymously with CBS Colorado days after issuing her resignation letter on Nov. 11. She was working for nearly a year at the Tamarac Family Shelter (formerly an Embassy Suites) at 7525 E Hampden Avenue, which is a city shelter run by the Salvation Army.
Her letter of resignation details a lot of the issues and concerns she experienced throughout her time working there.
“When we first got there, the housekeeping was there, and we had housekeeping because of the contract with Embassy Suites wasn’t over,” she said.
However, she says management eventually let housekeeping go, and the facility started to get worse.
“The condition of the building, its falling apart. We have leaks in the ceiling. We have bed bugs in the room. We have roaches,” she said. “The bathrooms are disgusting.”
The former employee shared a collection of photos she says were taken at the shelter. Photos showed dead rats outside the property, trash throughout the shelter and damaged ceilings.
“Just because they came from being homeless, doesn’t mean they need to be treated that way,” she said.
What was even more concerning to her and the clients she worked with was how much they feared for their safety within the facility.
“We’ve been experiencing a lot of domestic violence and there’s a lot of people that threaten us and say, ‘Well, we’re going to do things to your car,’” she said. “We had an individual that her husband kept her in a room and was beating her up and she had from head-to-toe bruises.”
She says despite having some security guards outside the facility, abuses or unauthorized people would still slip through the cracks.
“When the clients will say, I would rather be in the streets than be in here because it’s safer out there than it is in here,” the employee said.
This case manager says she has also spoken up about getting more security added to the facility, including a security door. However, she says the facility’s management team did not address these concerns.
“It’s not in the funding; we can’t do it. We don’t have enough money to do security doors,” she said.
Last week, when CBS Colorado first asked the Salvation Army about these concerns, it issued this statement, “One of the things that’s good about having a working relationship with the City of Denver is that they have high expectations for the safety and cleanliness of our programs. The Salvation Army could not operate the Tamarac location if these allegations were true. The safety of our guests is our highest concern. That’s why we’re here – housing families with children, providing three meals a day and connecting our guests with the services that will strengthen their abilities to thrive on their own. Furthermore, HOST or City of Denver employees are on site most days of the workweek every week. The bottom line is the city would shut us down if we didn’t hold to their high standards of safety.”
This week, however, a spokesperson for the Salvation Army says it’s enlisted independent legal counsel to investigate these concerns. “While the investigation is underway, we will be unable to comment.”
A spokesperson for the city’s Department of Housing Stability released a statement saying the former employee’s claims are largely untrue,” “Department of Housing Stability staff are regularly on-site at the Tamarac Family Shelter, working alongside staff members from The Salvation Army to ensure a safe, welcoming and stabilizing environment for families in crisis.”
These allegations come just as the city auditor released its findings of Denver’s homeless shelter program. The report reveals homeless funding is not being tracked, and safety concerns are not being addressed among other issues. The safety concerns are particularly connected to another shelter run by the Salvation Army on Quebec Street, the Aspen Shelter (formerly a Doubletree Hotel).
“The [homeless] should have a safe haven like they say it is. They should be able to stay there and not worry about their abuses coming in,” the former case manager said.
The report finds that Housing Stability has “ineffective systems for monitoring shelter provider performance,” and that in the case of the former Doubletree location, the city provided a security budget of $807,000 but had not hired a contractor to manage security at the property for several months. It is also the location where two people were shot and killed in March 2024, and a third person was shot and injured weeks later.
The audit also found concerns with Housing Stability’s managing of finances for shelter properties and personal information, “Housing Stability failed to hold providers accountable for their use of city funds. The department received 55% of reviewed invoices past deadline. We found sensitive confidential data was left unprotected in a shared drive that staff in other city agencies could access. Housing Stability stored documents such as birth certificate orders containing contact information and family information of shelter guests. Not protecting confidential information by restricting drive access creates a data security risk.”
“Housing Stability’s poor organization is negatively affecting operations at Denver’s shelters,” said Timothy M. O’Brien, Denver’s auditor. “These issues need to be addressed because vulnerable populations are at risk.”
A spokesperson for the city says the auditor’s report is not an accurate representation of the current state of the city’s shelter system, “Denver’s All in Mile High program has transformed the city’s homelessness resolution system, resulting in the largest decrease in street homelessness on record and positive outcomes both for those experiencing homelessness and the city as a whole. The Auditor’s report on Denver’s shelter system references data and information from more than eight months ago, and is not an accurate representation of the current state of our shelter system. We continue to constantly improve our programs, which is why although we acknowledge the auditor’s findings, it’s important to note that HOST and the City have long been working to improve the system throughout 2024.”
As for the former case manager, she hopes any new information and investigation into concerns at the shelter she worked at and others can help make these facilities better for anyone who works or lives inside them.
“More security for our residents,” she said. “That its clean, and that it’s not falling apart.”
Denver, CO
Out-of-order elevator at Denver Housing Authority property leaves disabled tenants looking for answers
Carlos Soto has an added 100 feet and two flights of stairs on every trip to his front door. He says he has to carry his walker every step.
“My whole routine has changed,” Soto said. “I try to not go down as much. If I need groceries or something, I try to hold off and not do it.”
Soto claims the elevator — just steps from his second-floor apartment — has been out of order for over three weeks.
▶️ WATCH: Soto shares the impacts of the out-of-order elevator with Denver7’s Alex Dowd
Out-of-order elevator at DHA property leaves disabled tenants looking for answers
Despite the difficulty, he walks the path three or four times every day.
“I have to take out my dog, so she can go potty and stuff,” he said. “I need to go to the store, get groceries, and I gotta go to work in the morning, and in the afternoon, I gotta come back up.”
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, landlords must make reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities. Colorado’s Safe Housing for Residential Tenants law says owners and landlords have to repair uninhabitable issues within two weeks.
Sen. Tony Exum Sr. — one of the prime sponsors of the bill in 2024 — said a place is “considered uninhabitable when there’s conditions that are unhealthy or unsafe.”
That includes when a disabled tenant is unable to easily or safely access their apartment. However, the landlord must be aware of the issue first. Then, “the onus is on the landlord to make reasonable accommodations to to fix the problem,” Exum said.
KMGH
Are reasonable accommodations being made at Sol Apartments where Soto lives?
Denver7 reached out to Denver Housing Authority — which announced the Sun Valley apartment’s grand opening alongside its partners a little over a year ago — but they said they couldn’t accommodate the request for an interview or statement due to the Fourth of July holiday. They did offer to respond the following week.
DHA employees told Soto in an email that they were “working to resolve the elevator issues.”
The issue, Exum said, is common in apartments.
“There can be an extension [for landlords],” he said “For instance, if they’ve contacted a third party to do the repairs.”
Soto says the housing authority told him they had contacted a third party for repairs, but that they offered no repair timeline or alternative options.
“Maybe make [the building] more accommodating,” Soto said. “Plan A didn’t work, so let’s try Plan B now, and get me up here somehow.”
Under the Safe Housing for Residential Tenants law, landlords are able to move tenants to hotels or nearby properties until the issue is resolved.
Soto says until the elevator is working again, he’s forced to use the stairs or use the elevator and the sky bridge next door, adding even more time to his already long commute.
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Denver, CO
Nations Cup in Colorado another showcase for Denver’s bid to host the 2031 Rugby World Cup
Think of Saturday’s rugby match at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park as a very physical audition.
The Nations Cup showdown between the USA Men’s Eagles and Portugal on the Fourth of July is another chance for Denver — long an epicenter for American growth in the sport — to showcase itself as a host city for the 2031 World Cup.
“We had that great moment at Dick’s last year where we qualified for the World Cup (by beating Samoa in the Pacific Nations Cup),” said national team captain Jason Damm. “Any opportunity to get out here, sort of in the middle of the country, feels like a connection point for the nation. It’s a good way to kick off this Nations Cup.”
Damm’s professional rugby roots are in Colorado. The Georgia native played for a team in Vail and for the Glendale Raptors, a now-defunct Major League Rugby franchise. Damm thinks Denver would be a “great fit” for hosting the 2031 Men’s and 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cups, the first time the tournaments will be held in the U.S.
“We have a lot of guys now, and I’ve had the pleasure of playing with a lot of guys who went through that American Raptors program that was here for such a long time and really wanted to look after the development of some transition players (from other sports),” Damm said. “There’s just so much great rugby out here and good competitions.”
In addition to the legacy of the Glendale/American Raptors as well as burgeoning club and youth scenes, Denver is home to “Rugbytown USA,” the city of Glendale, which boasts the first rugby-specific stadium in the U.S. at Infinity Park. That’s where Colorado’s pro women’s team, the Denver Onyx, plays. The Onyx are the reigning champions of Women’s Elite Rugby.
And the college scene is solid, too, including strong performances by local women’s squads at this spring’s sevens Collegiate Rugby Championship, where CSU and CU placed in the Division I-AA tournament, Colorado Mesa was the Division II national champion and Mines was the Division III national champion.
All of that background makes Saturday another important milestone for rugby in Colorado. The Eagles have two locals in their player pool in prop Kaleb Geiger (Castle View High School) and lock Sam Golla (Denver East High School), but both players are coming off surgery and are not on the Nations Cup roster.
Golla, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLR Draft and the league’s 2023 rookie of the year, sees Saturday as another chance for Colorado to prove its support of the sport amid World Rugby’s ongoing selection process for the 2031 World Cup.
“I see myself playing in the 2027 World Cup (once healthy again), and also in 2031,” Golla said. “It’s not often that your home country gets to host a World Cup, let alone you get to play in it. And then on top of that, potentially having a game in my home state in the World Cup representing my country, that would be amazing. Only one can dream of all the stars aligning in that perfect figure.”
In March 2025, the Denver Sports Commission hosted delegates from World Rugby as part of its ongoing, separate bids to host the 2031 Men’s and 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cups. While the bid for the women’s tournament is further off, the bid for the men’s tournament — one of the world’s largest sporting events — is heating up.
Last fall, World Rugby announced that 27 total cities entered the application phase. At the end of this year, World Rugby will reveal the formal candidates, and the host cities and venues will be announced following the Rugby World Cup in the fall of 2027. Eight to 10 cities are expected to be named hosts, according to Denver Sports Commission executive director Matthew Payne.
“We’ll continue to work with World Rugby on portions of the bid as they request them,” Payne said. “And so we’ll continue to give them information during this applicant phase with the whole goal of getting into the candidate phase.”
The 2023 men’s Rugby World Cup in France generated $1.95 billion in total spending, according to the Denver Sports Commission. Should Denver be named a host city, Empower Field will host matches due to its capacity, while Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and Infinity Park will serve as training venues.
The USA Men’s Eagles, which did not qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, have much to prove in the year-plus leading into the sport’s biggest stage next year in Australia. The Eagles, who have never advanced past the pool stage of the tournament, are a combined 2-21 over their last six World Cup appearances. In Japan in 2019, the Eagles went 0-4 with a minus-104 scoring margin.
So beating Portugal in the 7 p.m. match on America’s semiquincentennial, and then notching wins over Zimbabwe (July 11 in Charlotte, N.C.) and Spain (July 18 in Cary, N.C.), would be a good start. None of the other three nations are rugby powerhouses, as they’ve combined for only five World Cup appearances.
The Nations Cup, which also features Tonga versus Zimbabwe on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, will conclude with three additional rounds in November.
“We want to be able to compete at a Tier 1 level (which consists of the world powers, while the U.S. is Tier 2) around our set piece,” Eagles head coach Scott Lawrence said. “We feel like we have the players and the athletes to do that. We want to have a defense that stays in the fight with discipline and is physical.
“If we think about the game on Saturday and we back up from it, we’ve got to keep the end in mind, which is the World Cup. So it’s really around a new intensity, a new approach to the way that we’re building into that World Cup. And we think of Portugal as a first step along the way.”
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There have been many great offensive linemen in Denver Broncos history, so this list is likely going to vary greatly from person to person. In fact, my take might be a little too bold, but I’m sticking with it.
At the top spot, I think Garett Bolles has earned it. Since coming into the league as a first-round pick in 2017, he has grinded through one of the worst periods in Broncos’ history and grown from beleaguered oft-penalized first-round bust into a perennial All-Pro caliber left tackle. Even more, he has stayed a Bronco through his entire career. The rest of my list speaks for itself and is a throwback to Super Bowl greatness.
Here’s where our Mile High Report staff landed on the top five for offensive line:
Scotty Payne: Tom Nalen was the leader of Mike Shanahan’s offensive line, Ryan Clady was a top LT on a Hall of Fame career before injury and Stink was a key member of the Broncos Super Bowl winning OL back in the 90s. I included Bolles and Meinerz since both will be on this list once their successful careers are over with.
Chris Hart: This position group was one of the toughest to come up with a top five. Denver has an incredible history of top-tier offensive lineman. There are several players I left off who were certainly deserving. I posted Tom Nalen as my top guy because he was a stalwart at the pivot for many years for the franchise. We all know what Gary Zimmerman and Mark Schlereth provided on the field and they are both Super Bowl champions. The last two spots go to two recent Broncos, left tackles Garret Bolles and Ryan Clady. Bolles, a decade into his career, continues to play at a high level and Clady was a fantastic blindside protector whose career ended earlier than it should due to injury.
Ian St. Clair: For the first time in Elway’s career, he had a blind-side protector. And Zimmerman is one of the best to ever do it. Same for Nalen, who should be in the HOF. Clady was special. Bishop was the first Broncos offensive lineman in franchise history to get a Pro Bowl invite and provided one of the best in-game quotes ever when he said in Denver’s endzone at old Cleveland Stadium before hiking the ball at the 2-yard line in what would become The Drive, “We got ‘em right right where want ‘em.” And Schlereth helped lock down the left side of the line that was one of the best in league history.
Sadaraine: The top 3 are largely indisputable, other than maybe swapping Schlereth and Zimmerman. Ken Lanier started 178 consecutive games, which is nuts for an OT, and appeared in 3 Super Bowls. Garret Bolles has crafted himself into an all-time great at tackle and may move up the list.
Ross Allen: The Hall-of-Famer Gary Zimmerman was everything you could ever ask for in a left tackle and was a huge reason why John Elway and that 1997 team was so dominant. Schlereth also gets his credit as he was a massive contributor to Denver’s Super Bowl successes. There’s a strong case for Tom Nalen deserving a spot in the Hall of Fame too. And for the past two years I’ve become a huge spouter of Bolles being destined for the Ring of Fame. He’s an incredible talent as has been the cornerstone of this team for a while now. I just hope he gets his Super Bowl.
Joe Mahoney: Top 3 are a no-brainer. Bolles will finish his career with more starts on the OL than any other Bronco. The man he will pass is Ken Lanier. Since stats from Lanier’s era don’t exist we only have starts to go off, but Lanier was an iron man. He started 167 NFL games and 165 were for the Broncos.
There is a bit of variation here, but a general consensus of who should be in the Top 5. I loved the throwback to Keith Bishop who was a big part of the John Elway fourth quarter magic back in the day.
Who gets into your top five offensive lineman list?
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