According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in the state of Colorado there are up to 10, 857 individuals without places to sleep every night. This puts Colorado in the top ten states with the highest homeless population in the US.
The University of Denver is about five miles south of downtown Denver and students often are able to see the struggles of these homeless individuals first hand. John Mannas a sophomore student at the University of Denver expresses his frustration at the housing options available to homeless.
“It would be great if there were homeless shelters that could house all of them but there aren’t,” said Mannas.
While the Denver homeless shelters are not full every night, numbers presented by the city of Denver show the shelters do not have the capacity to house the entire homeless population of Denver. The Denver shelters often have strict curfews and other regulations that make them impractical for some homeless individuals.
“Men with children, individuals with serious mental illness, persons banned from shelters, unaccompanied homeless youth, individuals with pets, LGBT individuals, and same sex partners have limited access to adequate shelter,” wrote Barajas in his court decision.
While the ban is not strictly enforced in the city, several tickets have been given out to homeless violating the ban. Currently while the ban is being deliberated police have halted making any arrests.
According to Denver Rescue mission there are approximately 5655 homeless individuals in Denver. This is an 8.7% increase in the homeless population since 2018.
Thomas Loach a Graduate student at the University of Denver explains how he agrees with Barajas choice to deem the ban unconstitutional.
“I don’t think it should be a regulation just because someone does not have a place to live that they should be kicked out of the only place they can stay,” said Loach.
Even after being ruled unconstitutional, Denver continues to fight for the ban. The people of Denver recently voted against Initiative 300, which would have abolished the camping ban.
The people who voted against the initiative say the ban will help prevent waterway contamination and improve the Denver economy. Denver Homeless Out Load explains how the ban is often supported by business associations and developers who do not want homeless on their streets.
The question still stands: how will Denver house all these homeless if the ban is put back in place?
“We are talking about people who have nowhere to go,” said Loach.
With shelters being an unreliable option and the city fighting to get the homeless off the streets it is not clear where some of the homeless population can realistically stay.
Meghan Adams, a Graduate Student at the University of Denver, explained the travails of attempting to live in Denver.
“There is no affordable housing with the rising of real estate prices it is just impossible work one job and support a family,” said Adams.
Different organizations like Colorado Coalitions for the Homeless and Denver Homeless Out Load have been fighting to protect the homeless. Denver Homeless Out Load says this ban is criminalizing people for simply being poor with no home.
Andy McNulty, the attorney for a homeless man who received a ticket as a result of Denver’s camping ban is shocked that the city is still pushing for this ban.
“Given that a judge has found that Denver is cruelly and unusually punishing its own citizens, Mayor Hancock should take action to stop that punishment instead of fighting for the right to continue the cruelty,” said McNulty when asked about the ban.
The MFJS Reporter -- Winter 2020 T-R 