DENVER — The first of four immigrant shelters selected to shut down closed its doors Tuesday as the City of Denver works to address a multi-million-dollar deficit.
In his announcement, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said the closures will save the city around $60 million in costs in the 2024 budget.
“That means the $180 million deficit that we were facing is now closer to $120 million. That still leaves us $120 million of cuts to make,” said Johnston during a press conference. “So that means we still have work to do.”
The Quality Inn in Aurora was the first close. The last remaining families moved out Tuesday morning.
Local
Denver to close migrant shelters in effort to save millions amid budget deficit
Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for Denver Human Services, said 100 to 150 people stayed at the shelter within the last month.
"We've just been working with them and getting that shelter population onto better solutions," Ewing said.
Ewing said those who were staying at the shelter were either connected to nonprofits, received housing help through community members or received transportation out of Denver.
Adrian Cardenas from Venezuela stayed at the Quality Inn for two weeks until his time ran out. He told Denver7 that he and six other people who used to stay at the shelter are now sharing a 2-bedroom apartment.
"It's not convenient but necessary until we have a stable job," he said in Spanish.
The City said it will close one shelter a week over the next few weeks through the beginning of April. Three hotel shelters will remain open, as well as some congregate shelter sites.
Denver
Denver resumes discharging migrant families with children from shelters
The City of Denver has served 39,056 immigrants at a cost of more than $59 million. As of Tuesday, there are 1,916 newcomers in Denver shelters. City officials said that's the lowest number of sheltered immigrants since November 2023.
"No one's patting themselves on the back. We have a lot more work to do to make sure these people are in better solutions," said Ewing.
Denver has partnered with the Archdiocese of Denver to provide bridge housing to families.
The City has also reinstated time limits at its shelters. Individuals are allowed to stay for up to 14 days while families are allowed to stay for up to 42 days.
