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Denver Homelessness: Lights On in Five Points, Another Sweep in Capitol Hill

Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 5:14 a.m.

Evan Semón In Five Points, 4,171 lights now commemorate the number of people without homes in Denver at the start of the year. 1/31

Evan Semón Since then, encampments have popped up around the city, including the 600 block of Sherman Street, by the former Racines and the KMGH studios. 2/31

Evan Semón The encampment by the former Racines was swept on November 18. 3/31

Evan Semón City of Denver mental health professionals were at the site of the sweep. 4/31

Evan Semón The homeless encampment on Sherman Street had popped up in recent weeks. 5/31

Evan Semón The city cleared off the encampment on November 18. 6/31

Evan Semón Encampments have been popping up all over the city. 7/31

Evan Semón The city has swept several of the encampments, citing public-health risks. 8/31

Evan Semón Displaced homeless walk leave the site of the sweep at Sixth and Sherman. 9/31

Evan Semón Meanwhile, in Five Points, Denver’s Department of Housing Stability was installing 4,171 lights on the baseball backstop at Sonny Lawson Park. 10/31

Evan Semón There are many new buildings by Sonny Lawson Park. 11/31

Evan Semón There are also homeless encampments by Sonny Lawson Park. 12/31

Evan Semón The park itself is blocked from the public. 13/31

Evan Semón Installing lights at Sonny Lawson Park. 14/31

Evan Semón Sweeping Sherman Street, by the former Racines. 15/31

Evan Semón Cleaning up Sherman Street. 16/31

Evan Semón The residents of the encampment were offered help to connect with services. 17/31

Evan Semón Some residents of the encampment were reluctant to leave. 18/31

Evan Semón Some residents did not want to move along. 19/31

Evan Semón Denver Public Works staffer at the sweep. 20/31

Evan Semón Denver Public Works sweeping Sherman Street encampment. 21/31

Evan Semón Denver Police oversaw Denver Public Works staffers as they swept the encampment. 22/31

Evan Semón Finishing the sweep, by the KMGH parking lot. 23/31

Evan Semón Work continued at Sonny Lawson Park. 24/31

Evan Semón Installing lights at Sonny Lawson. 25/31

Evan Semón The work was finished during the day on November 19. 26/31

Evan Semón The 4,171 lights symbolize the number of homeless in Denver. 27/31

Evan Semón Sonny Lawson Park, an area popular with people experiencing homelessness, now has a light show in their honor. 28/31

Evan Semón The 4,171 lights at Sonny Lawson Park in Five Points. 29/31

Evan Semón The lights commemoratee people experiencing homelessness. 30/31

Evan Semón The lights of Five Points, and downtown beyond. 31/31

Denver Homelessness: Lights On in Five Points, Another Sweep in Capitol Hill

While Denver continues to grapple with the city's homelessness challenges — efforts that included a sweep in the 600 block of Sherman Street on November 19 — the Department of Housing Stability installed holiday lights at Sonny Lawson Field in Five Points illuminating the issue. The 4,171 lights symbolize the number of people experiencing homelessness in Denver, as counted in January.

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