The Denver City Council on Monday gave local nonprofit Haven of Hope the green light to turn an industrial building in the Lincoln Park neighborhood into a homeless shelter with eight to 12 beds for people in a recovery program.
The approval came despite 18 emailed comments opposed to the zoning change largely focused on concerns around the potential impact the facility might have on crime rates, public drug use, trash and property damage in a neighborhood that has recently grappled with challenges related to a massive homeless encampment.
City officials swept that encampment — located at the intersection of West Eighth Avenue and Navajo Street — last month in part because of three overdose deaths and multiple felony arrests that took place there.
City Council President Jamie Torres, who represents the city’s District 3 where that encampment and future shelter are located, said the concerns voiced in the opposition letter are largely a reflection of the city’s failures to adequately address the homelessness crisis.
The city also received 28 comments in support of the zoning change. No one who opposed the shelter spoke during Monday’s meeting.
“These are the symptoms when people have no access to bathrooms, no access to places to get water, to find food,” Torres said before joining her colleagues in a unanimous vote to support the zoning change. “And the crisis that the city faces is exactly why Haven of Hope aims to do what they can, little by little, to address the recovery needs of the folks on our streets.”
The property at 700 N. Mariposa St. is already zoned to allow for larger homeless shelters, those with 41 guests or more, according to the city planning department.
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But smaller shelters were not permitted under the city’s code for the area because they are viewed as needing easier access to more community resources like transit and food stores to be successful, senior city planner Edson Ibañez explained during a prior City Council committee hearing. The Lincoln Park neighborhood, featuring a unique mix of industrial, commercial and residential buildings, is close to transit stops and other services, making it a fit for those smaller shelters in the eyes of city planners, Ibañez said.
Haven of Hope operates its day shelter out of the building at 1101 W. Seventh Ave., directly to the east of 700 N. Mariposa. The Mariposa property has been tapped as overflow space during meals and other programs, co-CEO Derrick Vaughns said Monday. The organization’s plan is to provide long-term shelter space for eight people taking part in its Fresh Tracks program, a faith-centric program dedicated to restoring participants’ dignity and self-sufficiency. The program could grow to 12 beds but would not expand beyond that at the site, Vaughns said.
Providing safe sleeping space is key to removing people from temptations they might face on the street. The organization is well aware of the challenges unsheltered homelessness brings to the neighborhood, regularly leading its own community cleanup efforts, Vaughns said.
“We sympathize with our neighbors as they feel abandoned and unheard,” he said. “We have also experienced the same things. We have repeatedly opened our doors and we will continue to do so for conversations to be had on how we all can improve our community.”
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