Encampment cleanup will move people to Denver micro-community 5 miles away
DENVER (KDVR) — Neighbors are sounding off against the city of Denver over the planned sweep of a homeless encampment at West Colfax Avenue and Umatilla Street.
The city plans to move some of the unhoused people to a micro-community about 5 miles away, in a different district in the Overland neighborhood.
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Residents near the micro-community site told FOX31 they fear what that means for their safety.
“For years, obviously, everyone has been experiencing chaos, but I think the past two years have been deeply impactful for quality of life for everyone,” Dawn McNulty said.
McNulty is a longtime Baker neighbor and resident of District 7, where the new micro-community will be located. She recently attended a Denver community meeting, where she learned about the cleanup and relocation scheduled to happen next week.
“We would like the mayor to not sweep another encampment and bring it from another community into our district,” McNulty said.
A spokesperson from the mayor’s office sent FOX31 this statement:
“The City and County of Denver’s first encampment resolution effort of 2024 is scheduled to occur March 12, as we provide a move-in day for approximately 95 unhoused residents living at the Colfax and Umatilla encampment. Over the past several days street outreach workers have engaged with residents at this site, offering indoor accommodations, connections to a suite of wraparound services, and a pathway toward permanent housing.
Residents will be connected with accommodations at our Overland Park micro-community, as well as at other House1000 sites. Following the move-in day, the encampment site will be permanently closed to any future camping.”
This encampment resolution is part of All In Mile High, which was announced a couple of weeks ago as part of Mayor Johnston’s 2024 goals and is the long-term name for the House1000 initiative. We also sent a media alert yesterday about an upcoming press conference on Monday where Mayor Mike Johnston will be sharing more on the initiative and this encampment.”
Spokesperson for Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s office
The sweep of this site in Denver’s District 3 will move homeless individuals to the micro-community in District 7.
“We’re a 98% walking score community,” McNulty said. “So we’re not used to feeling unsafe walking day and night. No longer do we feel safe.”
Not only does she worry about the children in the area, along with those who are disabled or older, but she is also worried about the resources available for people experiencing homelessness — especially for people who have lived in the area for years, like Jermaine Blea, who’s been there for a decade.
“It’s making it harder to get into housing or getting into any type of shelter,” he said.
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“We continue to put forth information about things that are happening on a daily basis in our community,” McNulty said. She shared that list with FOX31, which includes reports of drug activity and overdoses, arrests, property damage and gunfire.
FOX31 crews spoke with McNulty outside the Ross-Broadway Branch Library, which serves as a resource hub for the unsheltered.
“Our children coming in, it’s often really scary for them to participate in activities with people who are so acutely mentally ill with substance abuse disorders,” McNulty said. “It’s my children riding this, their safe route to school to get to their school that’s 0.8 miles from here and having to safely go past people who are injecting fentanyl. To have to witness people smoking meth and having violent outbursts.”
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McNulty said she supports Mayor Mike Johnston’s goal to get the unhoused into shelters. She just wants to make sure her community and district are safe.
“We’re on board. We’re a really passionate community, and we want to help in every way possible. But I do believe that the vulnerable population of the community, because we are a walking community, is really deeply impacted. Their safety is something I want to support.”
There will be a press conference on Monday, where Johnston will share more on the initiative and the encampment.
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