On Monday, April 15, about a dozen members and supporters of the Housekeys Action Network Denver, a group supporting Denver's homeless population, rallied outside the Denver City and County Building to demand that Mayor Mike Johnston offer more long-term housing vouchers to get people off the streets.
Terese Howard, HAND's lead organizer, warned that if Johnston continues to use short-term rapid re-housing assistance, his two ambitious housing initiatives to move 2,000 people out of homelessness "will come crumbling down."
"Without permanent housing subsidies, people end up on the street," Howard said during the rally. "If the mayor doesn't want his plan to come crashing down, he needs to offer some sort of long-term housing voucher instead of this rapid re-houseless assistance."
Upwards of 200 people received rapid re-housing assistance as part of a housing surge two years ago, when Michael Hancock was mayor. Housing surges were concentrated efforts by the city to move hundreds of people into housing over short periods of time, usually within 100 days, after receiving federal, state and local funds.
The city has undergone two housing surges — one in the fall of 2021 and the other in early 2022 — that took almost 800 people off the streets. Although most of the voucher recipients from 2022 have moved on to permanent housing, another 42 have vouchers that are set to expire, mostly at the end of April, leaving recipients unable to afford their rent, according to HAND.
But Howard noted that the 156 people who got into permanent housing through Hancock's 2022 housing surge — or 79 percent of the participants — were able to do so through long-term housing subsidies, not rapid re-housing vouchers.
"They didn't just suddenly, magically start making $3,000 a month, able to rent your average one-bedroom apartment in Denver," Howard said. "What happened is housing subsidies, like vouchers, were given to people throughout these past two years to connect them to permanent housing."
"It worked, but it is it enough to support myself in a one-bedroom?" said Cersilla Wolf, whose rapid re-housing voucher expires at the end of the year. "No!"
Teri Washington is facing homelessness at the end of the month after living for two years in an affordable apartment unit owned by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. She says that rapid re-housing "is not better for anyone" because
"they're not permanent."
"Mayor, do your job," Wolf added. "Myself and other people who are in the same program have to have permanent housing at the end of our terms."
Last year, Johnston completed his House1000 plan, which aimed to move 1,000 people into temporary sites like hotels and micro-communities by the end of 2023. In November, Johnston revealed he would get people from temporary sites to permanent housing with the help of 500 housing vouchers, including another 200 rapid re-housing vouchers. "They didn't just suddenly, magically start making $3,000 a month, able to rent your average one-bedroom apartment in Denver," Howard said. "What happened is housing subsidies, like vouchers, were given to people throughout these past two years to connect them to permanent housing."
"It worked, but it is it enough to support myself in a one-bedroom?" said Cersilla Wolf, whose rapid re-housing voucher expires at the end of the year. "No!"
Teri Washington is facing homelessness at the end of the month after living for two years in an affordable apartment unit owned by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. She says that rapid re-housing "is not better for anyone" because
"they're not permanent."
"Mayor, do your job," Wolf added. "Myself and other people who are in the same program have to have permanent housing at the end of our terms."
Howard and her organization are concerned about the 42 people who won't be able to afford their rent once their rapid re-housing vouchers expire, but she says the bigger issue is that Johnston is expecting to put more people on short-term subsidies, and that won't get them into stable, long-term housing.
Last Wednesday, Cole Chandler, the mayor's senior advisor on homelessness resolution, told the City Council Safety & Housing Committee that the administration would continue to use rapid re-housing assistance for the mayor's All In Mile High plan, which aims to bring another 1,000 people indoors by the end of 2024.
HAND is demanding that Johnston find a place for people who are about to lose the short-term housing assistance they got from Hancock or make a plan to offer long-term housing assistance, not rapid re-housing, to people going through his House1000 and All In Mile High plans.
The small group of Monday's protesters marched up to Johnston's office after their rally to deliver him a letter with their demands. The mayor wasn't present, but a sheriff's deputy promised to leave it on his desk.
In the letter, HAND demanded that the mayor take one of three actions: hold a meeting with stakeholders, find housing for people whose rapid re-housing vouchers are about to expire, or offer permanent housing for people exiting Johnston's House1000 sites.
"How many people has Mayor Johnston got off the streets?" said Jerry Burton, a HAND activist at the rally. "And for what? To go back out on the street in about three to six months? That's not fair. It's not fair to claim you're getting people off the street if you're not putting them in permanent housing."
The letter also suggested that the mayor should fund a new voucher program for the 42 people about to lose vouchers in the coming months, give a grant to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless to house them, extend the vouchers before they expire, or secure more vouchers from the Denver Housing Authority.
In response to the HAND demands and rally, the mayor's office sent out the following statement:
"Homelessness is a complex and pressing issue that demands our unwavering commitment and a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach. While we acknowledge the progress made so far, we know the work is not done. Rapid rehousing, paired with case management and supportive services, has been one of many key tools for the city to help people experiencing homelessness get on the path to permanent housing. Mayor Mike Johnston and his administration will continue working with partners and city agencies to make Denver an affordable, safe and vibrant city for all."
