DENVER — As the City of Denver accepts families into its Asylum Seekers Program, which offers six months of rent-free housing, some new immigrants say it's been difficult navigating the application process and shelter system.
“We just want the six-month program that was talked about,” a single mother from Venezuela said while standing outside a new immigrant shelter.
V Reeves, an advocate for Housekeys Action Network Denver (HAND), said the process has been confusing as new immigrants receive different information from shelters, social workers, and those in charge of housing.
“Basically, these folks are saying, "Look, a lot of us actually qualify because we're asylum seekers. Some of us have letters of work verification, some of us have found the housing, and we're looking for the same kind of support that others are supposed to receive." But instead, they're told, "Well, if you found the housing, we might be able to cover a deposit, maybe a month," while other people are given six months of support,” Reeves said.
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On Monday, a group of immigrants said they were told they needed to leave the shelter where they were living.
“A worker named (redacted), they knocked on the door and they said that actually, we have to leave today,” the single mother from Venezuela told Denver7.
A spokesperson from the city said residents at that shelter were not required to leave and everyone in that shelter qualified for the Asylum Seekers Program. In a statement to Denver7, the city said it is "in the process of communicating with guests about the Denver Asylum Seekers Program."
"We are actively in the process of communicating with guests about the Denver Asylum Seekers Program, which provides 6 months rental, transportation, and food assistance along with access to workforce training and development. Those interested in enrolling in the program, which to our knowledge is virtually everyone at (name of shelter), will work with resource navigators as they exit shelter into housing."
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“They have a flyer that was eventually taken down, but they took photos of it before it was taken down. And this flyer specifically said that (shelter residents) were going to receive the same kind of six-month support help,” Reeves said.
Ultimately, everyone was allowed to remain at the shelter on Monday, but some new immigrants said they still worry about potential shelter time limits.
Reeves said to fill the gap between shelters and permanent housing, HAND is working to connect new immigrants with host families who are willing to offer rooms in their homes.
