Homeless hotel diary: Elevators out of service this week at Fusion Studios

The elevators at Fusion Studios have been out of service off and on all week.Photo byDavid Heitz

Residents of Fusion Studios got a little more exercise than usual this week.

That is, if they are able-bodied. If they use a wheelchair to get around, they were stuck. That’s because either one or both of the elevators was out of order about half the time this week. As I write this Saturday evening, neither elevator is working.

The problem of out of service elevators has been ongoing at Fusion for several weeks. There has been talk they might be replaced.

I can’t imagine investing the kind of money elevators would cost in a building this old. A building that took a beating this week, as several floods washed out several units.

Industrial strength fan stolen

One resident has a notice on their door alleging they stole one of the industrial strength fans being used to dry out the hallways from the flood. It will be interesting to see what happens to that resident.

People can throw items though a glass window here and not get kicked out. They can kick in doors, throw down punches with other tenants in the hallway and essentially tear things up and still not get thrown out.

I asked the Coalition’s media relations department exactly what gets a person into trouble at Fusion and how the eviction process works. After all, I was assaulted two weeks ago by a resident wielding a lead pipe. He busted a bunch of lights on the fourth floor and took out the chandelier on the second floor overhanging above the first-floor atrium. He is still in jail.

How much can you get by with at Fusion Studios?

Here’s what the Coalition’s Alexis Witham said about “housing retention,” which is what the Coalition calls its resident disciplinary process:

“CCH’s housing retention process has a goal of providing long-term stability for all our residents within our properties. The process prioritizes exploration of all options for residents prior to an eviction and includes phases based on type of issue/violation. Outcomes for residents are individualized based on the specific circumstances of the lease violation. In some instances, such as with severe criminal activity or danger to other residents, we may have to evict someone without going through the retention process.

“CCH also has a multi-department, agency-wide committee, that meets weekly to review cases where a client is reported to be causing safety concerns for fellow clients, residents, or staff. In extreme situations, a client may be discharged from some or even all CCH services.

'The Coalition believes in second chances'

“The Coalition believes in second chances and that everyone deserves housing and therefore, criminal background checks are not the only basis for decisions about housing placement. We know that people experiencing homelessness are over-policed and prosecuted, as are those living in poverty and people of color, especially Black individuals. More info is here in our Criminalization fact sheet.”

In other words, you can get by with quite a lot – several times – and still not get evicted from a Colorado Coalition for the Homeless property. But I’ve seen other residents get evicted quickly with no word on what their violations were. Many have been thrown out for not paying their rent. While few residents work, many receive a monthly check from the government and are required to pay 30% of their income for rent. Notices on posted on doors when residents get thousands of dollars behind.

Internet still spotty; fire alarm wails almost daily

Also in this week’s homeless hotel diary:

Internet coverage in the building is still spotty and often completely goes out. I went without internet at least three days this week. I sent several pointed emails to Coalition employees at all levels of the organization about the internet. I even emailed the CEO, who did not respond but who silently worked with her team to address my concerns. Someone from the Coalition’s IT department will come to my room this week and try to figure out why I’m not getting a signal. We tried this once before three months ago and nothing was resolved.

Fire alarms continued to get pulled at least three times per week, sometimes three times per day. Nobody leaves their rooms anymore when the fire alarm goes off. Someday someone is going to be hurt in a fire if this continues.

Indoor living a transition

I believe the Coalition does the best job it can managing Fusion Studios, but it’s a gargantuan task. Bringing people directly from an outdoor homeless encampment into an old hotel doesn’t give them much time to acclimate for indoor living. At the risk of sounding crass, many people experiencing homeless develop disruptive or rude behaviors based on the mean life of the streets. As one case manager once described it to me, “They don’t know they don’t have to be a jerk anymore.”

Cathy Alderman of the Coalition has asked that I stop naming Coalition employees in my articles unless it is she or Alexis. So, if my future reports are lacking a specific name for an employee, that’s why. Contributor guidelines require, however, that names be used in most instances.

I’ll have another report next Sunday explaining what went on next week at Fusion. Hopefully, I will have some good news to report.