DENVER – Using an online tool, the City of Denver is tracking progress toward Mayor Mike Johnston’s goal of housing 1,000 unhoused people by the end of the year.
The House1000 Progress Dashboard displays the number of unhoused people who have received shelter, permanent housing, or experienced family reunification.
So far the display shows 106 housing outcomes, which includes seven people in permanent housing, 35 people in rental units, and 50 people in shelters.
“It feels like a total scam on the mayor's part,” said V Reeves, Housekeys Action Network Denver (HAND) advocate. “He's not housing people — he is sheltering people... if they're there for 14 days, that will qualify as being housed. He's counting people in the temporary hotels as being housed. These are not, you know, direct pathways to housing. He's not creating any new housing that we've seen.”
In a statement to Denver7, a spokesperson for the Johnston administration clarified their tracking approach:
We want to make clear that the goal is to have individuals sheltered and housed permanently. With that said, a metric of 14 days was identified to show that someone has successfully come inside off the street. The 14-day metric allows for additional intensive wraparound services and support to individuals on their path to permanent housing.
There is a lot of work taking place to meet our target of housing 1,000 individuals before the end of the year and are optimistic we will accomplish this goal. It takes time for someone to get stabilized and work through the arduous process of obtaining permanent housing. The sites aim to provide the support and help people need to transition.
Reeves said what Johnston is doing is similar to what the Hancock administration did and now the pathways for unhoused people to get into shelters is more complicated.
“It turns out that there are still a good number of people who did not make the cut. I happen to know that one of the people not selected. She has a colostomy bag. And she's out here in the streets having to tend to her colostomy bag. And she's someone who should have been considered vulnerable, should have been considered unsafe on the streets and given this opportunity. But absolutely was not given that,” Reeves said. “From the 8th and Logan (encampment), we believe the number was 85 individuals. But again, that's still left 20 out.”
Reeves said the other issue with the shelter system is the rules.
“Another issue that we have is even the hotel that they started to move people into — they have very, very strict rules. Ones that, you know, you and I would be so uncomfortable living under, like no visitation of families or friends,” Reeves said.
Dina Weller, who recently moved to a new Denver encampment said the rules of the shelters concern her.
“I want to be somewhere where I'm warm and there's running water. I really do. Not necessarily a shelter. I have my dogs. I want to be able to keep my dog. If I can't, then I'm not going. But the way that they say that they have it running, it kind of makes me second guess wanting to go,” Weller said.
Weller said she's hoping the mayor is successful, but a new approach needs to be taken.
