DENVER — The advocacy group Houskeys Action Network Denver (HAND) and six unhoused individuals filed a lawsuit against the City and County of Denver on Tuesday, alleging that people with disabilities were "discriminatorily denied access to, ejected from, and denied reasonable accommodations by various shelters and shelter-based services."
Andy McNulty, a civil rights attorney representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said the goal is clear.
"The goal is to make sure that every single person in the city of Denver who wants to access shelter can whether they're disabled or not," he said.
- Read the full lawsuit below
For decades, Mindy Polson's nights have looked very different. Some of those nights were spent seeking refuge at different Denver shelters while others involved sleeping on city streets.
"I got 20 years out, more than 20 years on the street out here," she said.
Five years ago, Polson's nights became even harder.
"I have a colostomy bag. They took my colon out," she told Denver7. "I've had almost my whole colon removed. I've got several diseases I'm battling that [I] have been battling for a long time."
To care for her colostomy bag, Polson needs constant access to medical scissors. In the lawsuit, she alleges Denver shelters didn't allow her to bring in her scissors.
"I started using their scissors because they wouldn't let me have mine, and it started injuring me," said Polson. "It was slicing and cutting up my colon, and it started swelling and becoming very painful."
Polson previously stayed at the 48th Avenue Women’s Shelter, which is operated by Catholic Charities and Community Services of the Archdiocese of Denver. The lawsuit claims that the shelter "repeatedly denied Ms. Polson the reasonable accommodation of keeping or having access to medical scissors, which are necessary to maintain her colostomy bag."
Christopher Haworth, another plaintiff, alleges mistreatment at the Denver Rescue Mission Lawrence Street shelter.
"Around Thanksgiving of 2022, I was staying at the Denver Rescue Mission Lawrence Street. At one point during the night, staff moved my chair, my wheelchair with all my belongings strapped to the back, they moved it clearly across the room, and it was my only form of mobility," Haworth said. "The staff said that was in the way of people walking between the beds. It took me almost an hour till I got somebody to pay attention and help me."
In the lawsuit, Haworth alleges that on at least one occasion he had to "drag himself up the stairs because the buildings lacked wheelchair ramps or elevators."
The Denver Rescue Mission installed ramps and an elevator in 2023, according to the lawsuit. However, the court document claims that Haworth was "subjected to different and worse, often harassing, treatment because he relied on a wheelchair."
Denver7 reached out to Denver's Department of Housing Stability (HOST), which is mentioned multiple times in the lawsuit. In a statement, HOST said, "The City and County of Denver is always working to improve the shelter system and meet the needs of our unhoused neighbors. We ask that you direct your questions on this matter to the City Attorney’s Office."
The Denver City Attorney's Office also issued a statement, saying, "We appreciate the opportunity to provide a statement. However, as this matter is currently in litigation, we’re unable to comment."
Questions to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's office went unanswered Wednesday.
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