Denver, Colorado, plans to spend $5 million of former COVID relief funds on a contract to place homeless individuals in subsidized apartments over the next two years, the Denver Post recently reported.
In 2023, Mayor Mike Johnston (D) closed 10 shelter encampments despite the increase of illegal aliens arriving in the city. Johnston then announced the All in Mile High initiative, previously called the House1000, to provide shelter accommodations to 2,000 individuals.
‘They are better able to deal with challenges that may have led to their homelessness.’
As part of that ongoing initiative, the mayor now plans to allocate funds toward providing more long-term transitional housing in addition to converting hotels into temporary shelter spaces.
Johnston’s office said that the initiative will cost taxpayers nearly $90 million for 2023 and 2024, the Denver Post reported.
The $5 million contract, which runs from May 1, 2024, to May 31, 2026, with the nonprofit Housing Connector, will help 250 households with move-in financial assistance and rental subsidies. The Center Square reported that the organization will provide one year of full rental and utility assistance, a stability fund, mitigation and risk, mediation services, and case management.
A document provided to the city council read, “By connecting people with a home and providing them with rental assistance and supportive services to stay in their home, they are better able to deal with challenges that may have led to their homelessness, such as obtaining employment or substance abuse issues.”
On Monday, City Council members voted 8-2 to authorize the contract with Housing Connector. The nonprofit will coordinate rentals directly with landlords and property managers, and case managers will work with individuals to achieve long-term housing plans.
The program will be financed through the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds, which were once earmarked for COVID relief.
The mayor’s office recently came under fire for quietly sending illegal aliens to Salt Lake City, Utah, to reduce the number of individuals relying on Denver’s public assistance programs.
In May, a large group of illegal immigrants who had sent up an encampment refused to dismantle the makeshift tent city and move into taxpayer-funded indoor shelters that provide three meals per day. The group sent a list of 13 demands the city would need to agree to before they would be willing to get off the street. The list stated that Denver must provide them with the ability to cook their own food, free ingredients, shower access without time limits, medical professional visits, employment support, and free immigration lawyers.
A report from the Common Sense Institute revealed that more than 42,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in Denver over the last year and a half.
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