A plan to convert a Crowne Plaza Hotel into a facility to temporarily house and serve individuals who are homeless has spurred concerns from residents of Aurora and Denver about safety in the area and the effectiveness of the center in addressing homelessness in the region.
The Aurora City Council approved the purchase of the 255-room hotel at 15500 E. 40th Ave. near Denver International Airport in January for what’s being dubbed the Aurora Regional Navigation Campus, and held two community meetings this month, one catered to business owners and one to residents.
The soonest the center could open is early next year, according to city staff. The facility, which would be available only to single adults who are homeless, would offer transitional housing, employment services, workforce development, medical care, mental and behavioral health services, case management, emergency and day shelter space, and meals.
Because of the hotel’s location straddling Denver’s border, it prompted Denver City Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore to alert people in her district to the plans and invite them to Aurora’s community meetings. The location also frustrated some residents because of its proximity to a Denver migrant shelter on the other side of the Montbello neighborhood — though that shelter is scheduled to close soon, according to city officials.
Residents and business owners questioned Aurora staff about why they were finding out about the project after the city already had agreed to buy the hotel, what would be done for public safety, why the location was chosen, whether it would even work, and what would happen to families who are homeless since the facility is only for single adults. Business owners also said they worried about the effects of the new center on property values.
When Denver resident Donna Hamilton first heard about the facility opening near her neighborhood of more than 30 years, she said she was upset. She felt like the community was being boxed in by shelters, and the cities were moving people who needed services just to their area. Plus, she didn’t learn about it until it was a done deal, rather than Aurora first seeking community input.
“I understand they want to have a big space, but that is the gateway to the city,” she told The Denver Post of the hotel’s location. “There’s multiple hotels there. There are tourists. How do we keep people safe in our city?”
Although Hamilton plans to continue asking questions as Aurora keeps refining its plans, she said she feels better, after the community meeting, about the structure and safety protocols, as well as how the campus will serve individuals who are homeless.
“In my opinion, this was more thought out than some of the others I’ve seen,” she said.
Aurora City Manager Jason Batchelor said he understands the frustration about residents feeling like they haven’t been part of the conversation, but the city had to conduct real estate negotiations and make an offer before it could announce anything publicly. Still, he said, the two community meetings are the first of more to come.
The city plans to close on the hotel and convention center in May, having agreed to a maximum cost of $26.5 million — funded by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and federal COVID-19 relief dollars sent to Aurora and Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties. The location was selected based on its proximity to public transportation, hospitals and homeless services that would move from the Fitzsimmons campus.
This is Aurora’s first hotel purchase for sheltering people. But Denver also has bought hotels in recent years to use as housing for people who are homeless, adding two more at the end of last year as part of Mayor Mike Johnston’s effort to house 1,000 people before the end of the year. Five former Denver hotels are now being used for Johnston’s homelessness initiative.
Aurora staff is working on finalizing an agreement with an operator for the campus, with plans to renovate the facility. An architect also has been working with the city on preliminary designs for more than two years for a homeless services facility.
Kelly Schilling, an Aurora resident of more than 40 years, applauded the city for taking a proactive approach to addressing homelessness, but he said the campus will need some early successes to get more support.
Schilling, who comes from a business background, said his top concerns relate to safety, security and budget to run the operation. He also has questions related to collaboration with other homeless service centers. But as homelessness has become more “omnipresent” and spread out throughout the community over the years, “we, as a society, need to do something,” he said.
“Is this the right approach? I hope so.”
Aurora council proponents of the regional center say it’s based on a “work-first” model for addressing homelessness, similar to what they tout as the success of the Colorado Springs Rescue Mission, rather than the “housing first” approach Denver is taking.
Aurora Homeless Programs Manager Emma Knight said the campus aims to be a “one-stop shop” for individuals experiencing homelessness to get their needs met all in one place. But it won’t be without conditions: People seeking services will have to comply with rules and work with case managers toward goals related to housing and self-sufficiency, such as finding a job and securing more permanent housing options.
The campus would fall in Councilman Steve Sundberg’s district. He said people have to show they are bettering their lives to be able to stay at the center and receive services. He noted that there will be a fence surrounding the facility and that the city continues to have an urban camping ban in place.
“We simply want Aurora to be a thriving community, city, safe, business-friendly,” Councilman Steve Sundberg told attendees at Thursday’s meeting. “We certainly want to help people and we want to see people graduate out of (a) homelessness situation.”
Aurora plans to implement “good neighbor practices” to ensure other people in the area continue to feel safe, according to a city presentation, which includes secure entry and exit points, providing transportation to and from the campus, and working with police. It also includes collaborating with the surrounding community.
City officials don’t expect the campus to be a driver of people coming to Aurora to seek services from around the state because surrounding cities in the metro area are either establishing their own homeless services centers or already have them.
Mayra Gonzales, who lives in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood and works for a local nonprofit, remained worried after Thursday’s meeting. Both Denver and Aurora are placing people in the neighborhood, but they’re not increasing funding to local nonprofits that will inevitably have to fill in gaps or help service more people, she said.
The campus won’t have child care and is not a place for families or women who have kids, even though service providers are seeing more of them on the street.
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