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Residents and advocates tell City Council hundreds of families remain unhoused and on wait lists
Summary
Multiple residents and advocates told the Denver City Council during public comment that more than 400 families remain on shelter wait lists, that contracted hotel rooms sit empty, and that the city should treat family homelessness as a crisis.
Dozens of residents and housing advocates used the City Council’s public comment period to press Denver officials to move more quickly to shelter families and expand long-term supports for people experiencing homelessness.
“ We have over 400 people on the wait list,” said William Balsburn, who spoke for unhoused families and described monthslong waits for disability services and employment assistance. Bea Reeves of House Keys Action Network Denver said families with infants have been told repeatedly that there is no support and that the situation “needs to be treated as a crisis.”
Anna Miller, also with House Keys Action Network Denver and a longtime advocate who said she had at times slept on the streets, urged officials to use existing contracted hotel capacity to shelter infants and young children. “We have the means to put these children indoors,” Miller said, adding that she would hold city leaders accountable if children are harmed while living outside.
Speakers described a pattern: families called social services, were told they would be contacted, and received no follow-up. A Spanish-language commenter interpreted by Sam Guzman reported the same account, saying many families — including undocumented households — had received assurances but no concrete assistance.
Advocates pressed for emergency funding, prioritization of infants and families, and clearer pathways to employment and documentation that would allow households to stabilize. Randall Loeb, speaking as a pastor and chaplain, emphasized mental-health supports and dignified housing, saying public funds should focus on care rather than entertainment projects.
The council did not respond during the allotted public-comment period; the clerk told speakers council members or staff may contact them after the meeting for follow-up. No council motion or vote was taken during the comments.
What’s next: speakers said they expect the mayor’s office or council staff to follow up on individual cases and urged the city to prioritize emergency placements for families with infants.
