Arrival of Migrants Stretching Denver's Homelessness Resources

As cold weather continues to engulf the Mile High City, Denver has begun to face a homeless shelter crunch owing to the arrival of more than 1,100 migrants over the past few months.

"Now, [with] hundreds and hundreds of people arriving, that’s more than we have margins for in the homelessness sheltering system," says Britta Fisher, Denver's chief housing officer and the executive director of the Department of Housing Stability. "That is why we've had to set up additional shelter with folks who are coming in."

On December 6, the City of Denver activated an emergency shelter at a Denver recreation center to accommodate recently arrived migrants. In the preceding weeks, dozens of migrants had arrived on an almost daily basis, with many staying at shelters within Denver, such as the Denver Rescue Mission. However, since December 2, hundreds more had arrived, which pushed shelters to the limit.

The administration of Mayor Michael Hancock has now transformed a second Denver recreation center into an emergency shelter for these migrants, most of whom are from countries south of the U.S. border, including Venezuela. Other states across the U.S. are also seeing increased arrivals of migrants. Charitable organizations in border states have struggled to keep up with the larger number of migrants arriving in America.

Last week, the Hancock administration designated a third recreation center as a reception center for newly arriving migrants to either connect them with emergency shelter or help them reunite with family or friends. And on December 15, Hancock declared a state of emergency over the high numbers of migrants coming in daily.

"The declaration is another tool in the toolbox to help serve the increasing number of migrants arriving in Denver, particularly as winter weather sets in," Hancock says.

As of noon on December 19, the city was hosting 358 migrants in the recently established recreation center shelters, in addition to 157 migrants at church and nonprofit shelter sites. The city has already spent at least $800,000 on the migrant sheltering effort, a figure that the city acknowledges will increase significantly. A total of 984 migrants have been served by the city since December 9.

"It’s not unexpected, really, that when somebody is seeking services or help, the place that they will find is a shelter for people experiencing homelessness. That’s a well-known destination," Fisher says.

Denver's sheltering system typically has capacity to serve 2,100 individuals nightly, with added space made available for an additional few hundred more homeless individuals during severe weather episodes.

Right now, the city estimates that it's at approximately 61 percent shelter capacity for recently arrived migrants, with the maximum capacity right now for these migrants at 840 beds. Fisher believes that anywhere between 70 and 100 migrants are arriving in Denver daily.

"We're just at the beginning of what we've seen as growth. We don't know. There's not an organized effort, per se, of people coming here. It's just opportunity, and transportation routes come through here. That has put a stress on places. Denver Rescue Mission, St. Francis Center are some of the places that have seen the most people arriving. But they're not the only ones who have seen people arriving. It's been throughout the system," Fisher says, pointing out that El Paso, Texas, where many of the migrants are crossing into the U.S., is located just 640 miles from Denver.

The topic of the migrant arrivals and how the city is assisting these individuals came up during the quarterly Homeless Advisory Meeting on December 16 at the Commons at 1245 Champa Street. The City of Denver hosts these quarterly meetings to abide by the terms of a homeless encampment sweeps lawsuit settlement agreement called the Lyall Settlement. During the meetings, people experiencing homelessness are able to voice concerns directly to city officials who work on homelessness.

"How are you going to house 1,200 — another 1,200?" asked Angela Brown Sargent. "How are you going to house them when you can’t even house us?"

But Terese Howard, an organizer with Housekeys Action Network Denver, says that there should be solidarity with all people experiencing homelessness, whether they're immigrants or not.

"We're all houseless together. We can't be fighting for scraps. We need the city to step up for everybody at once, and not just transfer resources over to some and not to others. They need to increase resources for all," Howard says. "That includes the immediate emergency need of folks that are just passing through, and that includes the long-term need of housing that's actually accessible, especially for folks who are immigrants, whose options for housing are slimmer, given barriers to vouchers and being on traditional leases and so on."

Fisher points out that recent snowstorms and high winds along the eastern plains may have stopped some people who recently arrived in Denver but had plans to go elsewhere.

"The last couple of days have been pretty hard because of the weather in the east. That meant that a lot of people who did have places where Denver wasn't the final destination couldn't get there because their buses were canceled, their flights were canceled," Fisher says.

But Howard feels that the cold weather in Denver should also be a concern for the city

"It is a state of emergency, and it should be a state of emergency. And so should the fact that it's 10 degrees right now, and people are living on the streets. It's all a state of emergency. We need the city to step up on all these fronts," Howard says.

How to Help

The City of Denver needs medical and non-medical volunteers to help staff the emergency migrant shelters. Those interested in volunteering can apply here.

Additionally, the city says it has an "urgent need" for short-term shelter assistants, especially ones who can speak both Spanish and English, to work at the emergency shelters. Applications can be found here.

The city also asks that churches, nonprofit organizations and private-sector partners continue to reach out to Denver if they're able to support the migrant sheltering efforts. Those interested in getting involved should email [email protected].

Clothing and other donated items can be dropped off at Iglesia Ciudad de Dios at 5255 West Warren Avenue on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Much-needed items include size 7 to 10 men’s shoes or boots, small or medium men's and women's underwear and socks, backpacks and totes, and gender-neutral winter clothing, sized small or medium.

This story has been updated to reflect revised numbers released by the City of Denver and to add resources for public donations.