DENVER — A Denver7 viewer reached out with concerns about the upkeep of infrastructure at Renewal Village. She asked to remain anonymous because of the facts surrounding why she's living there.
Renewal Village is the newest property, re-designed by the Colorado Coalition of the Homeless, to offer long-term residential living to those experiencing homelessness.
"I'm contacting you very much grateful for being housed however I feel the coalition has a very hard time getting things done," the Denver7 viewer said.
She sent Denver7 pictures that show open ceilings, wet insulation in the dining area and unkempt emergency operations were.
Chief Communications and Public Policy Officer for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless Cathy Alderman said the hotel, turned into housing, is old.
"We have had some leaks in those pipes before. So it doesn't surprise me that we may have had some additional ones," Alderman said.
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless use buildings like this because it takes a quarter amount of time to convert it into 216 apartments versus building from the ground up, according to Alderman.
"As I said, the building is really old, and we were not able to go in and update the entire plumbing system, right? Because that would mean taking the building offline for months, people not being able to live there," Alderman said. "So we have to do it kind of in pieces and parts. And so I think that those are the repairs to the plumbing system in that particular area of the building."
The Denver7 viewer also told Denver7 there's a "drug problem" at Renewal Village and the site security isn't enough.
"There's only one person helping in multiple buildings with support and this is turning into a haven for dealers," she said over text.
Alderman asked security about the issue after Denver7 raised the concerns with her.
"We have staff on site at the location, who check people in and out. And of course, people, it's their home, they're allowed to have visitors," Alderman said. "Unfortunately, what we do know is that people who sell drugs often find lower income households that might be living in a particular area to sell drugs to, and that particular individual was identified as a trespasser."
That's just one problem Alderman addressed. She didn't mention ongoing issues.
Alderman did add that correlations are often made between lower income households and drug use, and said it's not always true someone experiencing homelessness or previously experiencing homelessness is using drugs.
"It's really important that we understand that those individuals often get preyed on by people who are selling drugs," Alderman said.
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