Opinion: Denver homeless hotel windows offer glimpse into poverty

Photo byDenny Muller/Unsplash

Ever since I was a child, I have noticed that low-income rentals often have something in common – broken or boarded up windows and ripped down curtains with aluminum foil or blankets in their place. You can put poverty behind four walls, but you really can’t hide the mess no matter how hard you try.

Denver’s homeless hotels already have earned reputations for being dangerous places. Homicides including a double shooting occurred at the former DoubleTree Hotel at 4040 Quebec, according to police, and stabbings have happened at the Tamarac Family Shelter, a formerly Embassy Suites.

At Fusion Studios, 3737 Quebec, where I live, broken and boarded up windows have resulted from people throwing things at them. There is plenty of aluminum foil hanging in the windows, too. I wonder why people tear down the curtains the room came with.

The DoubleTree almost looks abandoned from a distance, with many windows completely dark.

Council concerned about people experiencing homelessness

This week the Denver City Council submitted a letter to the mayor regarding its budget priorities. “Foremost is our shared concern in addressing homelessness in our city,” the letter states. “Under your leadership, the city has made significant and laudable strides in providing shelter to thousands. Yet, if we are to move people from sheltering toward stability, and if we are to prevent displacement and enable residents to ‘age in place,’ we must recognize that providing shelter is not enough. It must be accompanied by appropriate programs (i.e., Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance) and services (i.e., mental health support, substance use treatment, and work training/placement) to ensure stability and greater success.”

In other words, you can try to hide the mess that is homelessness, but by funneling encampment dwellers into hotels, ghettos are being created. Ghettos that literally have things sometimes flying out the windows.

Tossing garbage out the window

At Fusion, some people were throwing their garbage out the window for a while because they were too lazy to walk it to the dumpster. Behaviors like this must be addressed, and have been, but there is a constant stream of crises that occur at these locations. Residents aren’t getting enough support, or rather, may not be interested in accepting help.

According the mayor’s House1000 dashboard, of almost 1,600 people sheltered in homeless hotels and tiny home communities, four people have gone into inpatient substance abuse treatment. Ten have died, and 28 have gone to jail, according to the dashboard. A total of 165 people have returned to unsheltered homelessness, the dashboard shows. The City Council would like to see better outcomes. More than 1,300, or 84%, remain sheltered, according to the dashboard, and 32% have gone onto permanent housing. More than 160 people are listed as “no longer indoors” and 88 people have exited to “unknown.”

Job training critical

According to the letter, job training is paramount. “Recognizing the pivotal role of workforce development in both preventing homelessness and fostering long-term prosperity, we advocate for a robust pipeline of skilled workers,” the letter reads. “This entails not only meeting the demands for essential services but also creating opportunities for residents to secure meaningful employment. This must also include newcomers to the city. While we expect continued funding for the migrant response, we also hope to see comprehensive support for facilitating their transition into work life.”

While many homeless people suffer from severe mental illness, others are willing and able to work. Without an income, they don’t have much chance of surviving in “the real world.”

In the meantime, many remain sheltered in the hotels. And the windows offer a glimpse into poverty.