Denver needs rooms — perhaps thousands — to shelter people
experiencing homelessness and others who don’t have a place to go
as they await test results or show symptoms of the
novel coronavirus sweeping the country.
Local property owners and managers hold the keys, said Britta
Fisher, Denver’s chief housing officer.
The city has properties that can house groups but not
individuals under quarantine or isolation orders, Fisher said. Last
week, only eight individual rooms were available to the city, two
of which were occupied. They’re needed to relieve hospitals,
which already face a shortage of beds, and to prevent community
spread of the virus in homeless shelters and public spaces.
Denver could need as many as 3,900 individual rooms, Fisher
said. That’s an extreme figure and the top estimate of how many
people are experiencing homelessness on a given night in Denver.
Just how quickly the need will arise remains unclear because the
situation is unfolding rapidly, she said.
“Most people can go home from the hospital and recover, but
some folks don’t have a housing option and some folks are very
precariously housed,” Fisher said.
Among the latter group is Brooke Garner, who said her friend,
fearing the coronavirus, kicked Garner out of her home after
Garner’s 5-year-old son fell ill.
“She had taken it upon herself to pack all of my belongings
and throw them outside,” Garner said. “I tried to go to the
police for a civil assist, to file a civil complaint, but they told
me that they’re no longer taking civil matters at this
point.”
Garner said her son — who had the flu — and 8-year-old
daughter went to live with their father, while she landed at a
friend’s home, where she sleeps on a mattress in the garage
alongside another person and a rabbit cage. The place is full with
eight people in a two-bedroom duplex, she said.
Even in the best of times, Garner said, she has trouble finding
reliable housing. She splits her time as a massage therapist, which
currently brings no income because of the virus, and working at a
dispensary.
“I’ve just been kind of doing room rentals with friends and
people I meet who have a room to rent for $400 to $600,” Garner
said. “It’s always tricky. It’s hard to find the right
people, the right housing situations.”
If she falls ill, Garner said, she has no place to quarantine or
isolate herself. Homeless shelters are an option but the group
setting makes her nervous with such a communicable virus spreading,
she said.
Residents at the Salvation Army Crossroads Shelter watch the news
inside the facility in Denver on March 16, 2020.The city has
installed hand-washing stations at the facility, which are
mandatory for guests who eat dinner at the shelter to use, and the
staff have stepped up their efforts to stave off coronavirus by
cleaning more thoroughly throughout the day and during dinner in
Salvation Army facilities.
Denver’s shelters
aren’t well positioned for social distancing measures, agreed
Denver Rescue Mission spokesperson Alexxa Gagner.
Those experiencing homelessness are more likely to suffer from
underlying health issues worsening their condition if they contract
the virus, Fisher said. In addition, they could spread it more
widely.
Denver owns or operates large facilities like recreation centers
that could be used for group care settings, but private rooms are
needed for those who aren’t so sick that they require
hospitalization.
“We don’t want them to linger in the hospital unless they
need to be there,” Fisher said.
Specifically the city needs vacant hotel, motel and dormitory
rooms, Fisher said. Donations would be accepted, but the city can
pay for some of the services. That would help public health and
keep at least some cash flowing for businesses currently without
customers.
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The city and area homeless shelters are also seeking volunteers
who don’t fall in high-risk groups for becoming seriously ill if
they contract COVID-19.
Anyone who might have a usable space is asked to email
[email protected], and volunteers are asked to reach
out to the Mile High United Way or the Denver Rescue Mission at
unitedwaydenver.org/volunteer
or DenverRescueMission.org/volunteer,
respectively.
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