Lakewood site poor place for homeless village
Lakewood community members are caught between compassion and caution as federal officials consider whether to approve a project to house hundreds of homeless residents near quiet neighborhoods and thriving businesses.
Colorado Coalition for the Homeless plans to house at least 1,000 homeless citizens on 59 acres of vacant land at the Denver Federal Center, which is subject to provisions of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act that enables organizations to use under-utilized or surplus properties to assist the homeless.
According to the coalition, a 2017 survey found there are 394 individuals and 244 families with children experiencing homelessness in Jefferson County, figures that reflect only those who participated in the survey on a single day in January and meet Housing and Urban Development’s definition of homelessness.
The coalition last year persuaded a U.S. District Court judge to intervene after the parcel had been put on the auction block by the General Services Administration because it was declared “unsuitable for homeless use” by Housing and Urban Development officials who cited concern over chemical contamination on the 59-acre site.
After a U.S. District Court judge issued a temporary restraining order halting the auction, HUD in October 2017 reversed its position, determining the parcel was “suitable” for habitation by the homeless and allowed the homeless coalition to submit an application.
John Parvensky, the homeless coalition’s president and chief operating officer, says the reason Denver has so many people experiencing homelessness is that suburbs don’t have adequate services, so they migrate into the city. His organization, he said, serves 1,800 people in Denver who listed their last permanent address as being in Lakewood.
“So if we could serve them in Lakewood, they wouldn’t have to come to Denver for services,” Parvensky said. “There’s a need everywhere, and if we’re able to spread out and meet that need in different communities, I think we’re all better off.”
The coalition’s initial application was approved and the organization moved on to the next step, a financial plan that was due March 9.
If that plan is accepted, the coalition would proceed with the first phase of its project: a combination of manufactured housing, including Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers, geodesic dome structures as well as larger insulated tent structures to provide emergency and transitional housing for homeless families and individuals. Additional temporary structures would be used to provide support services, including counseling, employment and vocational services, and health care services. During Phase Two, the coalition would construct up to 600 apartments to serve formerly homeless families and individuals.
“Lakewood has great concerns about this process,” said Mayor Adam Paul. “We agree with Mr. Parvensky that ‘there’s a need everywhere’ for homeless services.”
Said Ward 1 Councilwoman Ramey Johnson: “But using 59 acres adjacent to the Federal Center is not an appropriate place to create a project such as the one proposed by the coalition. There are serious issues tied to this land and, as honest policy brokers, Council must not only look out for the homeless but for the community as a whole and city services as well. To that end, Lakewood is working with all levels of government to help the Coalition for the Homeless find a more appropriate setting.”
The Lakewood City Council is united in opposing the coalition’s plans for the Federal Center site because 59 acres is too large a parcel for the coalition to properly develop and manage. The concentration of housing for the homeless on the site could quickly strain resources such as police and fire protection as well as overwhelming nearby schools and services for others in need of a helping hand.
It also would nullify seven years of community input into our comprehensive plan.
“This process has not honored previously adopted community plans that envision multiple uses on this property and, most concerning, it goes against the Collation’s stated mission of being a national leader in providing integrated housing.”
“This plan does not integrate,” Paul said. “It segregates.”