Homeless hotel internet problem demands accountability, Denver council says

Photo byPhillip Katzenberger/Unsplash

The Denver City Council postponed Monday voting on a $1 million contract with Colorado Coalition for the Homeless to provide improved internet service at Fusion Studios, where the author of this article lives, and other Coalition properties.

According to council member Serena Gonzales Guttierez, council members peppered staff from the Department of Public Health and Environment, or DDPHE, with questions. DDPHE would oversee the contract, which also includes money for mental health first aid training.

“We had outreach from a resident this morning regarding the internet at Fusion Studios, which is the only CCH-run property he says currently provides internet ,” Gonzales Guttierez said. Resident David Heitz was unable to attend the meeting virtually due to an internet outage on the city's end as well as his own internet being out.

“There have been ongoing issues with the internet (at Fusion Studios), and IT has been out multiple times and not solved the issue,” Gonzales Guttierez told city staff. “The internet has not been working well for three weeks now, and the residents of the building feel that their complaints go ignored by the staff, who all still have access. He has only had internet for 2 of the last 24 hours and has lost income due to not being able to work. While we are all too aware that internet issues take time to fix, it is important to remember that the folks living in these buildings are sometimes in precarious financial positions and $300 of lost income is a significant amount."

She said the options presented to Heitz were limited. "He was given an option to pay out of pocket, but it is supposed to be included in the rent and that feels unreasonable to me. He says he is very grateful that the city is considering this contract as it is badly needed, and simply wants to make sure that these dollars actually fix the problems.”

IT department visits Fusion resident

Council members asked DDPHE staff whether the Coalition plans to use the same IT company for updates and installation that it has been using. They also said they would like to see a “formalized mechanism for residents to file complaints, and what if any accountability measures will be in the contract to ensure that residents are getting the intended services.”

Council member Shontel Lewis has been pushing for accountability in all contracts providing services to people experiencing homelessness. She wants to see if the city's money is being spent on effective programs.

On Tuesday, a member of the Coalition’s IT department visited Heitz’s room to test the signal. The instrument showed the signal was strong. He gave Heitz a range extender for his computer, but Heitz said the problem is that he’s never able to stay connected. He was booted off the internet five minutes after the IT worker left and had to try half a dozen times to post this article.

The council will vote on the matter next week after DDPHE is able to answer their questions.