Denver City Council approves homeless shelter

The Denver Post

DENVER — 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 unanimous 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 last month in part because of three overdose deaths and multiple felony arrests there.

City Council President Jamie Torres, who represents the district where that encampment and future shelter are located, said the concerns voiced in the opposition letter reflect the city’s failures to adequately address the homelessness crisis.

The city also received 28 comments supporting the zoning change.

The property at 700 N. Mariposa St. is zoned to allow for larger homeless shelters, those with 41 guests or more, according to the city planning department. But smaller homeless shelters were not permitted under the city’s code for the area because they are viewed as needing easier access to community resources such as transit and food stores to be successful, senior city planner Edson Ibañez explained during a prior City Council committee hearing.

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 Lincoln Park neighborhood is close to transit stops and other services, making it a fit for those smaller shelters, Ibañez said.