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Residents urge Denver council to fix shelter privacy, shorten waitlists and curb food waste
Summary
Multiple residents and housing advocates told the Denver City Council during the April public-comment session that family shelters need better privacy, that connection-center waitlists last months, and that shelter food and curfews create barriers to placement and work.
Several residents and housing advocates used the April 13 public-comment period to press the Denver City Council to address shelter conditions and slow placement into stable housing.
"I'm a victim of domestic violence," said Dharaja B., who told the council she and her two children are homeless and that "the wait list right now for the connection center, I've been calling for about 6 months straight." She said temporary hotel placements are unstable and that shelters often refuse households with service animals, creating a barrier for families with children who rely on support animals.
Vee Reeves, an organizer with House Keys Action Network Denver, said she and families recently met with Cole Chandler of the Department of Housing and Stability and relayed practical concerns: shelter curfews that prevent people who work nights from accepting placements, a need for family-only spaces to protect children, and food that does not match residents' cultural or dietary needs and ends up discarded. "When we're talking about how to cut down costs on shelter operations, we really should be talking about food services," Reeves said, noting a past example of a community-supported kitchen model.
Frances, who said she is currently staying at a Volunteers of America shelter, described the food issue in personal terms: "A lot of us have very different... gastronomic backgrounds and we eat different things," she said, adding that food waste increases shelter costs and reduces dignity for residents.
Other speakers tied the concerns to oversight and funding. Joshua Seal criticized council agenda line items that list "millions of dollars for landscaping," saying he found it "very disturbing that we care about landscaping and then families, immigrant families, refugees are still unhoused," and urged better oversight of homelessness spending.
Speakers proposed several responses: creating family-specific shelter spaces, adjusting shelter rules (including curfews) to accommodate working parents, piloting community kitchens to reduce waste and cost, and developing work programs or cooperatives to help people obtain stable income and housing. Roderick Marshall also suggested summer employment opportunities for youth as a way to support communities and provide work experience.
The clerk closed the half-hour comment session with no council response on the record; staff or council members may follow up with speakers after the meeting. The Department of Housing and Stability was referenced by speakers as engaged in ongoing discussions with impacted families.
