Board of Public Health calls for more health services for unsheltered homeless

Photo: Mihály Köles/Unsplash

By Robert Davis

Denver’s Board of Public Health and Environment (BPHE) is calling on Mayor Michael Hancock’s administration to stop clearing homeless encampments and provide additional health resources for the unsheltered homeless in the city, according to a recent letter the agency sent. 

“Our board recognizes that unhealthy conditions can develop in homeless encampments, in response to which the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment and other city agencies must take necessary steps to protect the health of the public, including our unhoused neighbors,” the letter, dated October 19, reads in part. “We recognize these actions can have profound effects on the health and well-being of those whose lives are disrupted by such actions.”

The letter, which was signed by BPHE Chair Genene Duran, was inspired by “considerable public comment” BPHE received about the public health concerns for individuals living on Denver’s streets, BPHE said. Some of the issues the Board expressed concern over were the city’s encampment cleanup operations and its “perceived” lack of proactive options to prevent unsanitary conditions from developing.

To mitigate these concerns, BPHE recommends that Denver officials provide “basic human needs” for the city’s unhoused such as adequate access to potable drinking water, toilets, and other hygiene facilities. 

Denver VOICE reached out to Mayor Hancock’s office for a comment on the letter but did not receive a reply. 

BPHE also asked Denver to convene a working group of public officials, nonprofit entities, and people experiencing homelessness to compile a “comprehensive, coordinated and collaborative plan” to address homelessness citywide. The letter described Denver’s current homelessness resolution efforts as “independent programs that react to homelessness but appear to lack a collective vision.”

“We believe such a group can recommend an approach that will result in a more innovative use of public and private resources while meeting more needs of the Denver homeless population,” the letter reads. 

Denver officials began meeting as a “Homelessness Cabinet” in May, a group that includes the executives of each city agency as well as representatives from the Mayor’s Office. The Cabinet is chaired by Britta Fisher, HOST’s leader, and Evan Dreyer, Mayor Hancock’s Deputy Chief of Staff, is leading operations. 

Meeting minutes show the Cabinet has been briefed by the City Attorney’s Office about different legal cases across the country that could impact Denver’s work to resolve homelessness. City agencies have also peer-reviewed each department’s strategic plans to discuss ways to coordinate their efforts to address homelessness.  

Fisher previously described the Cabinet to the Denver VOICE as a group that is responsible for coordinating the goals laid out in the Department of Housing Stability’s (HOST) Five-Year Plan. Some of which include adding 7,000 affordable units, reducing unsheltered homelessness by 50%, and achieving “functional zero” for veteran homelessness by 2026.

While the Five-Year Plan represents “an important step toward a long-term solution to meet the housing needs,” BPHE said in the letter that the plan also does not “directly address the health and safety of the homeless population today.” BPHE said that these issues can’t be resolved through the “current reactive process that results in the repeated cleanup and resettlement of encampments.”

“We recognize there are no easy answers to the problems identified by the agencies and others working with homeless individuals,” the letter reads. “At the same time, city agencies and partners have a wide array of expertise, resources, and innovative ideas.”

Throughout the pandemic, Denver took several steps to provide housing and health services for people experiencing homelessness. The city bolstered its rental and utility assistance programs, rented hotel rooms for people experiencing homelessness, built two new homeless shelters, and expanded its nationally acclaimed Support Team Assistance Response (STAR) program. 

However, BPHE said these efforts have been less effective because they lack a coordinated strategy. If left to their own devices, BPHE worries the current programs may not provide the outcomes Denver residents are eager to see.  

“All the citizens of Denver will then live in a safer and healthier environment while goals of the HOST Strategic Plan come to fruition,” the letter adds.