Mayor Hancock says surge in encampment sweeps is unrelated to upcoming All-Star Game
DENVER — At the intersection of 21st and Arapahoe St., right across the street from the Rocky Mountain Public Media offices, a sizable homeless encampment was recently removed. In its place are now dozens of concrete parking blocks, an example of what some call “hostile architecture” that is meant to deter or prevent people from setting up camps.
The encampment had been just a couple blocks from Coors Field, which is hosting MLB All-Star festivities beginning Saturday, July 10. According to The Denver Post, the city has already cleared more homeless camps in 2021 than it did in all of 2020.
The timing of the encampment sweeps raised questions about whether Denver’s recent surge in enforcement against unsanctioned camping is related to the All-Star Game, which is expected to attract a lot of out-of-town visitors.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock was asked about the timing during a June 30 press conference in which the mayor and city leaders announced a “housing and homelessness recovery plan."
“Let me be very clear. It’s not connected to the All-Star game,” Hancock said of the encampment sweeps. But the mayor did come down hard against homeless encampments.
“Unsanctioned encampments are not an option,” he said, stating that a “civilian enforcement team” will assist the city in clearing the camps.
Hancock's explanation for the increase in sweeps is that the city is simply enforcing the ban on unauthorized camping, and that there are “more cleanups” because Denver has experienced a record-high in encampments.
You can watch highlights from the press conference below.
According to the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative’s most recent “point in time” report, there are about 4,100 people experiencing homelessness in Denver. However, that data was collected before the COVID-19 pandemic, which has “only made the homelessness crisis worse," HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge said.
“We are seeing more people experiencing homelessness than ever,” added Britta Fisher, the executive director of the Department of Housing Stability, who also spoke at the press conference.
“What we are doing, post-pandemic, is enforcing the law,” Hancock said of the sweeps.
But while Hancock refers to this current time as “post-pandemic,” it’s clear that the economic effects of the pandemic are still leaving their mark on thousands of residents. According to The Associated Press, nearly 200,000 Coloradans are behind on rent and facing eviction, indicating that more people could slip into homelessness.
Moreover, the combination of rising rents and stagnant wages has put more people in precarious housing positions. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) found that “373,900 people in 182,400 low-income Colorado households pay more than half their income for rent, often forgoing necessities, like food or medicine, to keep a roof over their heads.”
The latest data from CBPP also show that median Colorado rent has increased 24 percent since 2001, but median renter income has increased by just 9 percent.
Hancock’s press conference took place at the city’s newest 24/7 shelter, located at 4600 E. 48th Ave. During the remarks, Hancock introduced four main goals as part of the city's housing and homeless recovery programs.
First, Hancock said the city is looking to acquire more hotels and motels to house residents experiencing homelessness. Second, the city plans to create more safe outdoor spaces that will provides "basic amenities" and ideally replace the unsanctioned outdoor camps.
"Third, we will leverage existing partnerships with organizations like the Denver Housing Authority to more quickly connect our unhoused residents to available apartments," Hancock said. "We will be expanding supportive programs that provide to be invaluable during the pandemic, such as rental assistance, utility assistance and eviction protection services."
Finally, Hancock said the city will be "growing out the pipeline of new housing developments and the preservation of existing homes."
“When homelessness occurs, we should do everything in our power...to make it brief and one time,” Hancock said.
Kyle Cooke is the Digital Media Manager at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at kylecooke@rmpbs.org or on Twitter at @KyleACooke.