I have been in the news business more than 30 years, spending much of my career at some of the best local newspapers in the country. Today, I report on Denver City Hall, homelessness and other topics for NewsBreak, much like I did in my twenties covering Newport Beach, Calif. for the Daily Pilot. I consider myself a lucky guy to still be doing what I love after so many years.
By David Heitz / NewsBreak Denver
(Aurora, Colo.) According to city estimates, Aurora's new camping ban will cost at least $4 million annually.
The council will hear options for housing people displaced by the encampment sweeps during Monday's study session. Additional costs include storage of their belongings and wraparound mental health services.
Aurora must provide shelter to those it displaces for its ban to withstand a legal challenge. According to project estimates, building a new homeless campus around the current Aurora Day Resource Center could cost up to $100 million.
Plans call for two towers flanking an expanded Aurora Day Resource Center. The new center would include 20,000 square feet and a commercial kitchen, laundry facility and medical offices.
One 30,000-square-foot tower would provide permanent supportive housing. The other 40,000-square-foot tower would give temporary shelter to those displaced by the sweeps.
The city could save money by purchasing office buildings, warehouses or hotels and motels to house people experiencing homelessness. Aurora also is considering placing campers in legal tent villages or pallet shelters.
According to estimates, it will cost $2.1 million to expand the day resource center.
According to city estimates, the cleanups themselves will cost Aurora about $625,000 per year. That includes six cleanups a week.
The city will need to hire additional outreach workers and case managers. Four outreach workers and an outreach manager will cost about $300,000 annually. Adding another van for outreach will cost $60,000.
The city estimates that staffing the Aurora Day Resource Center 24/7 will cost an additional $700,000 per year.
Aurora also will spend $28,000 to store the belongings of people displaced by the sweeps in shipping containers.
Earlier this year, the council slashed funding for the homeless campus. "I'm not even sure about the campus yet," Mayor Pro Tem Francoise Bergan said in February. "I need a whole lot more information."
At that time, most of the council voted to skip hearing a presentation on the campus. Councilmember Juan Marcano said discussion about the campus is not for the council but for the news media and people watching at home.
According to a city staff report, there are 594 homeless people in Aurora but only 150 shelter beds. The proposed campus would house 300.
Aurora's conservative City Council is not likely to spend $100 million on a homeless campus. Most members have advocated for temporary solutions such as warehouse shelters and ice fishing tents.
I have been in the news business more than 30 years, spending much of my career at some of the best local newspapers in the country. Today, I report on Denver City Hall, homelessness and other topics for NewsBreak, much like I did in my twenties covering Newport Beach, Calif. for the Daily Pilot. I consider myself a lucky guy to still be doing what I love after so many years.
(Denver, Colo.) Caring for Denver has made great strides in combatting substance abuse and mental health problems for Denverites, according to its 2021 annual report. Created by a city ordinance, Caring for Denver launched in 2019. Sales tax dollars fund the foundation.
(Denver, Colo.) Denver will consider making Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery, a paid holiday. The Denver City Council will discuss the issue Tuesday at the Finance and Governance Committee meeting. The public can speak at a 1:30 p.m. public hearing. If approved, the full council still needs to vote on the bill to make it law.
(Denver, Colo.) Not having Internet access or the skills to go online can feel isolating. The City of Denver recognizes that not all its residents have the means to buy a computer or afford internet access. Others may have a computer they don't know how to work. That's why Denver has created four full-time "digital navigators."
(Denver, Colo.) Denver City Council Tuesday approved two contracts establishing a carsharing program at Denver International Airport. Councilmember Chris Hinds called the program "an Airbnb for cars" during a Facebook chat last week.
(Denver, Colo.) Denver takes foul smells seriously. "Report those odors!" councilwoman Candi CdeBaca recently posted on her Facebook page. She shared a post from Ana Varela from the Elyria David neighborhood Facebook group.
(Denver, Colo.) Aurora awarded a contract for $250,000 Monday to a company that will sweep away homeless encampments. It also adopted a resolution concerning storing items of people displaced by the sweeps.
Correction: The story originally reported that Boulder is banning concealed carry weapons. This is incorrect. Boulder is considering a comprehensive gun bill that bans open carry in public places, among other things.
(Denver, Colo.) On Monday, a woman told the Aurora City Council that construction companies are exterminating prairie dogs while building a new housing development in the Fitzsimons area.
This man criticized the Denver City Council Monday for not doing enough to help the homeless.City and County of Aurora/Denver 8. (Denver, Colo.) People experiencing homelessness packed the City Council chambers and three overflow rooms Monday as they commemorated the 10th anniversary of Denver's camping ban.
Denver's famous big, blue bear.City and County of Denver. (Denver, Colo.) If you live in Denver, you probably have noticed the city boasts several public art pieces. More than 400 sculptures, murals and other artwork decorate the city. Coloradans created more than half of the art.
Martin Luther King Park in Denver recently expanded its playground.David Heitz/NewsBreak. (Denver, Colo.) The Denver Parks and Recreation Department asked a City Council committee to approve $9 million in on-call contracts despite council concerns over the practice.
The Blair-Caldwell LIbrary will host a renovated reading room.City and County of Denver. Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library in Denver's Five Points neighborhood will get a $2.6 million makeover.
(Denver, Colo.) Don't expect to see the crowds of homeless people camping in Aurora to disappear anytime soon. So far, the city only has set aside only 10 beds – mats, really – for people displaced by the urban camping sweeps.
Workers sweep a homeless encampment in Denver.Denver Homeless Out Loud. (Denver, Colo.) The facilitator called it the "pre-game show" to the council's annual budget retreat. Members of the Budget and Policy Committee listed projects Monday they want included in the upcoming city budget. Overwhelmingly, spending on fighting homelessness emerged on top.
(Denver, Colo.) A homeless shelter serving families will begin to house people recuperating from surgery or other medical treatment. Denver City Council voted Monday to spend $73,000 on a respite director for Volunteers of America Family Hotel, 4855 and 4905 West Colfax Ave.
(Denver, Colo.) A mobile mental health center operated by the City and County of Denver, Wellness Winnie, is about to get a twin. The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, or DDPHE, seeks bids to purchase and operate a second Wellness Winnie. According to a news release, the city seeks "a qualified local organization to provide accessible, culturally responsive, integrated behavioral healthcare services in a safe space for people with behavioral health concerns," according to a news release.
(Denver, Colo.) The Denver City Council will consider passing a proclamation Monday supporting gay men giving blood. "The Food and Drug Administration has updated its policies in recent years but discriminatory deferral policies that categorically restrict donations from men who have sex with men remain in place," the proclamation states.
A dog ejected from the back of a truck visited Aurora City Council this week.AuroraTV. A dog badly scarred due to an accident when it was unsecured in the back of a truck visited the Aurora City Council on Monday.
(Denver, Colo.) No matter where you go in the mile-high city, electric eyes are watching. And despite concerns the cameras unfairly target communities of color, a Denver City Council committee voted Tuesday to add 25 more. Stone security will be paid $1.4 million to maintain 276 HALO cameras throughout the city. HALO stands for High Activity Location Observation.