Jill Voyles knew the first year would not be easy. But it would be worth it for her and husband, Brendan McClarney, to move their three daughters to Crested Butte from St. Louis, Missouri. Then right after they arrived last spring, everything shut down. McClarney’s job as a construction project manager evaporated. So did Voyles’ […]
tent cities
Posted inHealth, Housing, News, Politics and Government
How one block on Pearl Street represents Denver’s stubborn homelessness crisis
“I’m going to shoot him!” The man’s shouts echoed in the street at 2 a.m. as he rummaged through his belongings for a gun. Screams and yelling erupted in the encampment on Pearl Street, where about 25 people are living in tents, keeping warm with makeshift fire pits fueled by propane tanks inside blanket- and […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News, Politics and Government
Homelessness in Denver is obvious, but the never-ending work to solve it is harder to see
The hundreds of green cots that lined the vast hall at the National Western Complex are gone, and the men who slept there have been bused to homeless shelters around the city. In small groups, they gathered their belongings into duffle bags last week and waited — socially distanced on metal folding chairs — for […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News, Politics and Government
Encampment near Capitol cleared out days after governor invites cleanup, troopers get OK to enforce Denver ordinances
A week after Gov. Jared Polis invited a cleanup of an encampment across from the Colorado Capitol and secured the ability for his state troopers to enforce Denver’s city ordinances, officials were clearing out the area on Wednesday morning. Sgt. Blake White, a spokesman for the State Patrol, said troopers and health officials have for […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News, Politics and Government
Homeless camps in downtown Denver are “out of control” as the pandemic drags on. So what’s the solution?
The dried-up, yellow grass in front of the Colorado Capitol is littered with chicken bones, empty water bottles and food wrappers. More than 100 tents and tarp shelters strung to the trees are the temporary homes for at least 150 people, their coolers and shopping carts parked outside their tent flaps. The tent town at […]