Meth, fentanyl tailor made for homeless people: Denver mayor

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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said Monday that methamphetamine and fentanyl are tailor made for people experiencing homelessness.

Johnston said a professor from the University of California at San Francisco told him the drugs help keep homeless people warm, awake and suppresses their hunger. "That is quite literally what we know methamphetamine and fentanyl do to help survive the conditions of being unsheltered," Johnston said.

During a news conference announcing the opening of the La Paz tiny home community in Overland Park, someone asked Johnston how people who use drugs on site will be punished. “As a general rule in almost all of our communities we generally do not allow distribution on site, we generally do not allow use in public locations on site,” Johnston said.

Mayor: Drugs not a ‘challenge’ at tiny homes

Johnston said that when it comes to open drug use, between staff and security, “We haven’t seen that challenge around other sites. These beautiful sites where you have access to heat and air conditioning, access to food, bathrooms, kitchens, and showers we think gives people a very new opportunity to allow people to re-engage in things that will make them successful.”

The inhabitants of an encampment at Colfax and Umatilla will move into the 60 tiny homes, Johnston said, adding the city will decommission that encampment. The city plans to expand the La Paz site to 120 tiny homes if all goes well, Johnston said. The site is managed by Colorado Village Collaborative, which oversees multiple tiny home sites in Denver, according to Johnston.

Substance abuse, mental health treatment offered

Residents of the tiny home communities will receive case management and will have the opportunity to access substance abuse and/or mental health treatment, Johnston said. Treatment is not a requirement, however, he said.

So far, the city has purchased or leased six hotels citywide to house people experiencing homelessness, according to city staff. More tiny home and pallet shelter communities will open in Denver in the days ahead, Johnston said.

Johnston calls his plan to house another 1,000 people experiencing homelessness in the next year “All in Mile High.” He said the name comes from a desire to move everyone indoors.