Denver Mayor and City Council Briefing on Homelessness and Migrant Response - January 2, 2024

The Mayor and Denver City Council met on January 2, 2024, for a weekly briefing. The session covered two main agenda items: an end-of-year update on the city's homelessness efforts and an update on the migrant situation, including the closure of the encampment at 26th and Zuni. Council members asked questions, made requests for future information, and expressed support for the administration's work.

Homelessness Response Update

• The Mayor reported that no new emergency declaration is needed, and the previous emergency has subsided. The total number of people moved from streets into housing is expected to exceed 1,100, with a final count around 1,130 by the end of the day.
• Two new sites, the LODI and Overland sites, are scheduled to open within the next four to six weeks, delayed by shipping of community buildings.
• The city has resolved 10 large encampments, moving residents directly into housing, and has conducted individual outreach citywide through leased units and vouchers.
• Seven new sites will be operational in January. The family sheltering system has been expanded by more than 35 percent through the Embassy Suites site, cutting the family waitlist in half. More than 60 community meetings were held.
• A publicly available dashboard tracks moves indoors, exit destinations, and later average length of stay. The Mayor said a more detailed safety briefing will cover workforce training, mental health, addiction services, and job placements at each site.

Migrant Encampment and Shelter Update

• The encampment at 26th and Zuni has grown to more than 300 people. The city is closing the encampment, moving individuals to two congregate sites on January 3 (tomorrow from the meeting date). The target length of stay at those sites is 30 days while housing applications are processed.
• In the two weeks preceding the meeting, 95 individuals had been moved directly from the encampment into housing. Of the encampment's residents, 295 have submitted housing applications, and roughly two-thirds of those relocating already have applications pending.
• Council allocated $345,000 from its budget to cover application fees, deposits, and first month's rent. The Mayor credited this allocation for enabling the rapid housing program.
• The Mayor reported 4,500 newcomer migrants in shelter that night, about 10 times the number when the council took office about 100 days earlier (then 400). More than 150 buses arrived in December, bringing roughly 200-250 new arrivals per day.
• The projected 2024 budget for migrant services at current capacity is approximately $180 million, equal to 10-15 percent of the city's general fund budget.

Council Discussion and Requests

• Councilman Hines thanked the Mayor for setting an aggressive goal and said it appeared "the impossible is possible."
• Councilwoman Parady requested a list of employees who contributed to the success and asked who was responsible for the dashboard. The Mayor said the host team and technology services collaborated, with regional partner MDHI.
• Councilwoman Sawyer asked for a future conversation about next steps, noting unresolved smaller encampments, and requested a wrap-up of financials, particularly hotel investments. The Mayor agreed to provide both a budget wrap-up and a look ahead.
• Councilwoman Romero Campbell asked that the dashboard track children in families, noting the Embassy Suites move of 138 families (approximately 400 people) included many children, newborns, and pregnant women. The Mayor noted an additional 300 migrants who were rehoused are tracked separately.
• Councilman Alvidas expressed concern that Denver is bearing a disproportionate share and urged partnership with other cities and states. The Mayor said he had called 12 mayors and planned to contact 20 more, and that Denver is the largest per-capita recipient of migrants in the nation—2.5 times the second-place city. He discussed a coordinated entry plan that could reduce arrivals to about 50 per week from the current 2,000, and said he would attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 10 days.
• Councilwoman Sandoval spoke emotionally about the impact on Northwest Denver, described daily involvement and personal attacks, and stated she "a hundred percent" supports moving people indoors. She invited colleagues to join her at the site closure the next morning and noted that 180 million in budget will require hard decisions.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken; the session was informational.
• The Mayor committed to provide: a list of employees for recognition, an overview of the next phase of homelessness strategy, a financial wrap-up and look ahead at the budget, and more detailed site-by-site service data at a future safety briefing.
• The city will proceed with closing the 26th and Zuni encampment on January 3, moving residents to two congregate sites.