Vote NO on 300
The Initiative Offers No Hope
By Wellington Webb
Special to the GPHN
Like many Denver residents, I am concerned about the growing homeless population. It is an issue that is becoming a crisis as high housing costs and mental health issues push more people into our streets.
When I served as mayor, I worked with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless to lease a city building for $1 a year for 30 years. The space provides 100 apartments for the homeless. Mayor Michael Hancock has worked with the community to provide a “tiny house” village in the RiNo District.
Religious groups citywide have ongoing assistance for the homeless with meals and shelters. While more still needs to be done, these kinds of efforts make tangible differences in people’s lives.
I oppose Initiative 300 because it does nothing to provide any new funding for services like apartments, tiny homes, shelters, counseling and job training, or address the causes of homelessness. The homeless need housing, shelter, medical treatment and other services.
The way to help the homeless is not to abandon their needs and open up our parks, church lots and other areas. That’s the wrong solution.
This proposal would allow the homeless to camp indefinitely in all outdoor public places, including parks, sidewalks and alleys. Our police and firefighters could not enforce health and safety issues. In recent years, our city streets have been littered with needles and in some cases even human feces among makeshift homeless camps. There also has been reported violence among the homeless, including sexual assaults. This will only get worse with Initiative 300.
No one wants our city to resemble parts of Los Angeles, where homeless camps have literally taken over parts of the city.
There is no question we need to come together as a city and face this crisis. The answer is to collaborate on ways to help people find housing, jobs and mental health programs, not allow the homeless to camp on our sidewalks and in our parks indefinitely.
Wellington Webb is the former mayor of Denver. This opinion piece was submited by Together Denver, the group opposing Initiative 300.