COVID-19 cases in Colorado spiked by 30% during the first week of 2021. This forced many residents to retreat to their homes and resume isolation from social interaction, despite the introduction of vaccines from companies such as Moderna and Pfizer.
While those stuck inside deal with unique challenges, unhoused Denver residents face the harshest disadvantages brought on by the pandemic. Despite the city’s efforts, our unhoused neighbors remain displaced as they seek refuge in less crowded areas that pose a lower risk of infection.
Homelessness, disability and chronic mental and physical health issues often go hand in hand. This means that unhoused folks are in a higher risk bracket for severe and/or fatal illness as a result of contracting the virus. Services for these communities are often provided in areas with heavy foot traffic where infections can be easily transmitted. Sweeps of homeless encampments at the behest of Mayor Hancock have also increased infection risk by forcing people to move from place to place.
According to the Yale School of Medicine, “Under pre-COVID-19 conditions, [those experiencing homelessness] were 10 times more likely to die than the general population.” This statistic proves a need for more scrutinous care during the pandemic.
Denver government and safety officials appear to be taking mostly positive steps towards reducing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the unhoused population. On Nov. 9, the Denver City Council approved Mayor Michael Hancock’s proposed 2021 budget of $1.327 billion. The budget includes a designation of roughly $75 million for the Department of Housing Stability (HOST), an agency committed to creating and preserving housing for those in need.
The city has taken other measures to protect those experiencing homelessness since late summer of 2020. HOST has been involved in some of the most effective strategies, such as working to ensure regular COVID-19 testing at shelters and encampments and providing hotel rooms to those who have tested positive while seeking shelter.
Additional city measures include expanding shelter operating hours to 24/7 and providing specific sanitation options such as hand sinks in public parks. However, effective care must spare residents the fear of overcrowding that is often associated with shelters and encampments.
Despite the city’s efforts, these resources are still too overcrowded for Nolan Barnes, an Aurora native who has been homeless since the summer of 2018. While he was hesitant to go into detail about his circumstances, Barnes said that he had not been to a shelter since early last year. “I’m 57 and I have asthma, [those places] are death traps,” he explained.
When asked his opinion of Mayor Hancock’s efforts to aid people like him, Barnes simply shrugged and said, “I think [he’s] done more bad than good.” This response may have been prompted by Hancock’s public disapproval of homeless encampments since his election in 2011. In 2012, he signed the urban camping ban into law, and it remains in place despite being found unconstitutional in 2019 by a county court judge.
Hancock has spearheaded numerous homeless encampment sweeps throughout the pandemic that have displaced hundreds of residents. One most recent sweep occurred in RiNo. Activist groups such as All In Denver protested the sweeps, and Denver Homeless Out Loud voiced similar sentiments by filing a lawsuit against the city in October. Hancock maintains his position in opposition to homeless encampments.
One solution could be to allot outdoor spaces as an official encampment for unhoused residents. This would eliminate the lengthy process of construction, as Barnes pointed out, and provide a viable short-term solution for overflow. Hancock initially proposed a location for a sanctioned campsite in the Five Points neighborhood, but he decided to scrap the proposal in September. No additional proposals have been put forward since.
It would seem that Denver officials have done an adequate job of both securing funding and providing resources to combat homelessness. However, the sweeps of encampments that simply move people from street to street are ineffective and unnecessary.
While Hancock’s generous allotment of funds coupled with the efforts on behalf of agencies and organizations such as HOST have been an excellent start to aiding this population, the issue at hand must be viewed through an interpersonal and empathetic lens in order to truly enact change.
Barnes is doubtful that he’ll be able to get back on his feet before the end of the pandemic. This is partially because of being constantly pestered by law enforcement, but his fear of overcrowding has kept him from staying in sanctioned areas for nearly a year. “I’m not getting off the street at least until this is over,” he said.
It is of the utmost importance that city leaders such as Hancock interact with this group directly in order to understand their struggles from a firsthand perspective. Considering how the chronic mental and physical conditions of people like Barnes do not only pose a more severe threat of illness but have also had a stake in perpetuating or even causing their situation, is crucial.
Allotting areas of land where these community members can stay, away from heavily populated shelters, would be an excellent starting point.
