Denver plans to convert 194-unit, $26M hotel into city’s next homeless shelter
Denver plans to convert 194-unit, $26M hotel into city’s next homeless shelter
The deal has not yet closed, but the housing authority believes the 194 units will make significant headway toward Mike Johnston’s goal of housing 1,000 unsheltered people by the end of the year.
The city would start leasing the complex through its Department of Housing Stability (HOST) on Sept. 1.
I think using the whole building for low income or homeless housing is a mistake. It's going to turn to shit. What they need to do is sprinkle low income families in amongst medium income residents.
This has the added benefit of providing some income to the program and increasing social mobility.
That’s worked well in Vienna and Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
There’s 1,300 unsheltered homeless people in Denver. This hotel has near 200 rooms. With space in each room for multiple residents, this can put a major dent into the amount of homeless on the street if it’s used exclusively for that purpose. Plus, other homeless shelters in the Denver/Boulder area are spread crazy thin as it is. It’ll take a massive effort to keep it from going downhill but I think it can be done.
I like what you’re proposing, but I think this idea is just addressing a different goal. Plus there are probably better places than a hotel to integrate homeless into low/medium income society.
It depends on what their goal is.if it's just to give people temporary shelter for 6 months or so it could be an effective halfway house style setup. If it's meant to be permanent housing, the it would be better to have a mix. If it's just about headlines, then throw the most problematic homeless there and let the place get destroyed in 3 months.
6 months won't work, it'll take another 6 months renovation afterwards.
We need better solutions than short term warehousing, I've seen tiny house and similar systems that seem to have worked some, the key is to keep things manageable but ensure the expectation that the user is responsible.
The moment you have hallways you go back to Cabrini green really quickly.
We've experienced this where I am, and I agree. Mixed demographic high density is necessary to prevent the stigmatisation that comes from living in designated ghettos.
It does look like they're thinking about these things to sone degree though, thankfully:
40% of the units designated for tenants earning 30% of the Denver area’s median income.
I am very happy that there are efforts to help the homeless though. I hope it is to help, and not just hide away.
I'm personally a fan of Singapore's rules which make 5% of all new development social housing.
It has been pretty successful in my county. The county bought up around seven hotels to house the homeless. Several hundred homeless are housed until they can find more permanent housing.
😂 no walled off ghettos with final solutions per the GOP 🇺🇸😭
Too Few of those programs exist. However, I’ve heard they are very competitive and make people jump through lots of hoops.
There's also waiting lists a mile long in most cases.
If I lived within a 1/2 mile of that place I would sell now...
This hotel is in an industrial area. There are no houses close to it. The closest houses are in northfield/Central Park, which are all 1mil+
This is a very typical shit ass response. We’ve had great success in having permanent and semi permanent living spaces in existing neighborhoods. Even the NIMBY assholes like yourself who initially sued to prevent it have changed their tune. There also has been no increase in crime with these either.
Maybe take a minute and consider what you would want if you were homeless. In the US you are much closer to being homeless than you think.
If you live anywhere even remotely urban, you're already likely near a homeless person.
One hundred ninety-three of the units would be used for housing low-income people, with 40% of the units designated for tenants earning 30% of the Denver area’s median income.
Now we wait for the neighbors pour in against it.
I always wonder how well these conversions work. Do they add a kitchen and call it a studio apartment?
You would not necessarily need that. There could be a communal kitchen or a cafeteria. This is not meant to be permanent housing