Homelessness and housing services in Boulder among many areas affected by the coronavirus pandemic

May 15—In a year where everything was affected by the coronavirus pandemic, homelessness in Boulder County was no different.

COVID-19 disproportionately impacted the unhoused community, city officials noted in the staff memo provided to Boulder City Council during its annual homelessness update on Tuesday. There were limited in-person services due to public health restrictions. The pandemic hampered Boulder's housing efforts and required that the city develop the COVID-19 Recovery Center, a separate space for those who tested positive or were symptomatic, the memo states.

City Council members on Tuesday were complimentary of staff's efforts in 2020, and many specifically called out the success of the CRC.

"It is kind of head-spinning to me how quickly you were able to conceive of that, pull it together, get it funded, get it staffed with volunteers, move it," Mayor Sam Weaver said.

For those working in homelessness and housing services in Boulder, the year has been eye-opening. Boulder Shelter for the Homeless Director Greg Harms said it's emphasized the importance of housing people.

"Covid has even highlighted for us the insufficiencies of sheltering as a response to homelessness — with just the added uncertainty and potential exposure and anxiety that comes from a communal living situation," he said. "If anything, it really reinforced and refocused for us that housing is the right solution."

Disparities

While coronavirus has had a larger impact on those experiencing homelessness, there are other disparities within homelessness itself that officials presented on Tuesday. One big one is the overrepresentation of people of color.

It's a problem across the country, and Boulder's Homelessness Policy Manager Vicki Ebner said "Boulder is no exception."

Digging deeper, the data indicates that people of color, particularly Black and Indigenous people, are disproportionately represented in the number of referrals to Boulder County's diversion services, an initiative that began in February 2020. The city and county define diversion services as "light-touch problem solving to keep people from entering the shelter system." This typically means providing people a way out of Boulder, whether that's paying for a car repair, reuniting a person with a family member or purchasing someone a bus ticket out of town.

Ebner said on Tuesday the disparity is likely because diversion services are offered to those who have been in Boulder for fewer than six months, and that population is generally more "diverse."

But for Darren O'Connor, who chairs the criminal justice committee of the NAACP of Boulder County, that is indicative of the discriminatory nature of Boulder's six-month residency requirement.

"Aside from the discrimination that's inherent in it, it goes against a fundamental tenant of our constitution: that people have the right to move from one place to another," O'Connor said. "Boulder welcomes that so long as you have money."

Other updates

Boulder County uses a Coordinated Entry system, meant to serve as "front door" for those looking to access services. According to the presentation on Tuesday, 1,050 people were screened through the Coordinated Entry system from April 2020 to of this year.

In Boulder, people are required to go through the Coordinated Entry screening before they're able to stay long-term at the shelter or be helped into housing, which bars some from accessing services.

During the pandemic, people had to go through the screening process over the phone, another challenge for some looking to access services. However, a new in-person location for Coordinated Entry will open June 1 at 909 Arapahoe Ave.

Data presented on Tuesday indicates that since 2017 Boulder has fairly consistently upped the amount of money it spends on housing and homelessness services. In 2021, it expects to spend nearly $3.3 million on outreach, diversion, navigation, shelter, housing and more. That's an increase from about $2.2 million in 2020.

In addition, the city has continued to invest more in affordable housing. Director of Housing and Human Services Kurt Firnhaber said that the data presented Tuesday, "tells the history of our strategy."

While mental health and addiction are challenges communities across the country face, The National Homelessness Law Center cites insufficient income and a lack of affordable housing as the leading causes of homelessness.

Boulder maintains that it's continuing to try to understand why people are not engaging with its services. In March, it officially stood up a new team meant to address exactly this. Boulder Targeted Homelessness Engagement and Referral Effort (BTHERE) sends a team out to engage with people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.

Ordinances

The City Council on Tuesday also voiced initial support for ordinances that would prohibit tents and limit the number of propane tanks allowed in city parks. This comes on the heels of a decision by the Council to spend $2.7 million over 18 months on efforts to enforce its current camping ban, including an extra Boulder Police Department unit and an internal cleanup team to clear encampments.

After Tuesday's discussion, city staff will work on the ordinances to ensure that, among other things, the new regulations won't prevent people from using shade structures while recreating in city parks. This was first recommended by Councilmember Aaron Brockett and later supported by most.

Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold and Deputy Chief Carey Weinheimer both said the ordinances will be beneficial to the department as it enforces the camping ban.

"It would allow us to more quickly address tents being erected in parks and open spaces than we are now," Weinheimer said. "I don't think it's a magic answer, but ... I think it's an incremental tool that we can use to address the problem."

Some Council members had concerns. Councilmember Rachel Friend pushed for the ordinance to be crafted in such a way that it would prevent discrimination. If families can use shade structures during the day at the park, then unhoused community members should be allowed to seek shelter from the sun in tents during the day as well, Friend asserted.

"That's one of the most challenging things that we do," City Attorney Tom Carr said. "The best way is to have clear criteria and to monitor those criteria as you enforce,"

Still, while all Council members indicated general support, Councilmember Adam Swetlik said he doesn't believe the ordinances do much to address the reasons why people are homeless in the first place.

"Until we can solve (some of the problems contributing to homelessness), this is just adding more enforcement to a mostly unenforceable situation," Swetlik said. "So we can move forward with it. That's fine. But I don't think it solves anything ultimately."

Tuesday was a special meeting, so there was no open comment. When the ordinances come back before the City Council for a vote, it will be during a regular meeting where community members can speak on the matter.