New Housing projects to help homeless, low-income residents

NORTH DENVER — When temperatures drop, our thoughts turn to the unfortunate men, women and children who can’t—or won’t—find shelter from the cold. Denver’s homeless population is growing, according to several sources, putting pressure on the City Council to implement solutions.

District 1 City Councilman Rafael Espinoza, who supports several new affordable housing projects in Northwest Denver, emphasizes the need for financially sustainable options going forward. “Throwing money at the problem isn’t the answer. We spent $ 63 million in the last ten years on the homeless problem, and now we have more homeless people. It’s not a matter of money but solutions. We keep investing in things that don’t address the problem.”

More than 10,000 people are homeless in Colorado, 6 percent more than in 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In metro Denver, 3,700 people are homeless, according to this year’s point-in-time survey. About 861 of these are considered chronically homeless. “These numbers are hard to depend on since we’ve seen a rise in shelter numbers of more than 6 percent,” said Denver City Councilwoman-at-Large Robin Kniech, chair of the Housing and Homelessness Working Group, a collaborative city council group that brainstorms and develops recommendations for the larger council. “We know the numbers are greater than in the past. They are more visible on the streets.”

The challenge is the many different faces of the homeless in Denver, said Kniech. “They all face crises, but each person faces their own unique set of challenges, requiring a variety of responses. We have to develop solutions separately.

“We tend to think of the visible homeless people who experience mental illness or substance abuse. But many homeless people have employment and an income. Some families work, but they live in their car because of the shortage of low-income housing. They can’t get ahead to pay the rent.”

Kniech said legalized cannabis might play a role in rising homeless numbers. “I’ve heard anecdotal evidence from policy makers about a cannabis connection. We’ve seen more young homeless travelers who say they’re here because of marijuana. The larger picture is that everyone is moving to Denver, and the number of homeless mirrors the rise in population.”

Espinoza says the city’s social services burden is increased by the marijuana draw. “People come here for recreational marijuana and stay because we have good services. Many marijuana users are not Colorado residents who decided to change their lifestyle, but new people. It will be interesting to see if some migrate to California now that they offer recreational pot.”

In previous decades, homeless people were required to get sober before they could get government housing. But the high public cost of jail, detox and hospital stays changed this thinking. According to the Denver Crime Control and Prevention Commission, the top 300 heaviest users of these services cost the taxpayers more than $ 11.3 million each year.

Kniech and Espinoza agree that a “housing first” approach is both more cost-effective and supportive of homeless people. “How can you get sober when your living situation is so unstable?” said Espinoza.

“Clearly we need more affordable housing when people can’t find a place to live even with a rent voucher,” said Kniech. “The city is working with the Federal government and the state to address the problem.”

Earlier this year the city approved the Affordable Housing Fund, a plan to dedicate $ 15 million a year to build 6,000 affordable homes over the next ten years. On Dec. 5, Kniech was appointed as City Council Representative to the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, which will advise the city on the use of the new Fund money.

“Some of the units will be for homeless people, and some of the money will be used for supportive services,” said Kniech. “We’ve already funded some projects and now we’re identifying the next generation of housing needs. We plan to complete one or two housing projects each year.”

According to Espinoza, several new low-income housing projects in Northwest Denver have tax-credit financing and will soon break ground. The buildings will provide 250 units combined. New workforce housing units will be constructed at 29th Ave. and Sheridan Blvd. and in the rehabilitated Kuhlman Building at 17th and Perry (formerly a convent). Espinoza explained that the workforce housing is intended for employed people earning between 60 and 100 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI).

Additionally, the Denver Housing Authority will build an affordable senior housing and urgent care project at Colfax and Raleigh. Eight for-sale affordable units will be available in the new Aria Denver development at 52nd and Federal Blvd. for buyers with up to 80 percent AMI.

Espinoza said a new overnight shelter is planned in the Sun Valley neighborhood in a warehouse near 8th Ave. Also in Sun Valley, the Denver Housing Authority plans to build 750 mixed-use housing units using a portion of a $ 30 million grant received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. About 83 percent of Sun Valley residents live below the poverty line.

“Even though we’re building new housing in District 1, we’re losing affordable homes that are being demolished or flipped,” said Espinoza. “We have about 5,000 affordable homes in District 1.”

He wishes the new Affordable Housing Fund was bigger, and also a better deal for the city. “We need more: we need $ 30 million, not $ 15 million, and the city needs to be able to retain the assets,” he said. “These are publicly funded projects that end up being out of the city’s ownership. We’ve created an industry for developers to profit but we need a more strategic way to handle these finances. We need to own these buildings so we can provide housing in the future.

“Hopefully we can change the workings of the Affordable Housing Fund so that it doesn’t fall short like the 10-year Road Home program did. I don’t want to look at this in three years and realize we’re failing.”

The post New Housing projects to help homeless, low-income residents appeared first on North Denver Tribune.

North Denver Tribune

Denver Fire Department secures discount on fire safety products for residents

Don’t Wait, Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years

DENVERAs National Fire Prevention Week (October 9 – October 16) gets underway the Denver Fire Department in partnership with First Alert (www.firstalert.com) want to remind residents that smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms do not last forever.   “Replacing smoke alarms is a really important message that we want to make sure everyone is aware of,” said Denver Fire Chief, Eric Tade.  “We want to ensure people are not lured into a false sense of security by changing batteries in a smoke detector that is past its useful life.”  The alarms may not work when they are needed most. It is important to remember:

• Three out of five home fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms
• 450 people are killed from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning yearly
• For 25 years, people have been reminded to change clocks and change batteries but smoke alarms do NOT last forever.
• Smoke alarms need to be replaced every 10 years and CO alarms every 5 – 10, depending on the alarm.

According to the NFPA, install smoke alarms in very bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. Be aware that larger homes may need additional alarms.

To help with this education outreach, First Alert has donated 200, 10 year battery,  smoke alarms to the Denver Fire Department.  The 10 year batteries are sealed within the alarms meaning you never have to change the batteries for the life of the alarm.  At the end of 10 years, the alarm will signal that it’s time to take it down and put up a new one. 

At the request of the Denver Fire Department, First Alert is making its fire safety products available at a 20% discount via its online store only from Friday, October 7 through Wednesday, November 30.  Visit www.firstalertstore.com/DenverDiscount and enter the coupon discount code, DenverFD.     

About the Denver Fire Department: Founded in 1866, the Denver Fire Department is dedicated to providing quality, timely and professional emergency services to those who live in, work in, and visit the City and County of Denver and the communities we serve; respecting each other through trust, pride, diversity, integrity, and training; and working together to achieve the highest levels of preparedness, prevention, and community involvement with dedication to purpose. The Denver Fire Department is on Facebook (DenverFireDepartmentCO) and Twitter (@Denver_Fire).

Denver Fire Department  |  www.denvergov.org/fire

 

The post Denver Fire Department secures discount on fire safety products for residents appeared first on North Denver Tribune.

North Denver Tribune

Lowry residents sue Denver over rezoning allowing 5-story buildings, calling

Lowry residents sue Denver over rezoning allowing 5-story buildings, calling
Residents in the Lowry neighborhood have filed a lawsuit against the city and the Denver Planning Board to challenge the process for rezoning part of a 70-acre piece of land in the neighborhood. The lawsuit, filed Oct. 24, states that the rezoning of …
Read more on The Denver Post

[wprebay kw=”denver” num=”45″ ebcat=”-1″]