Denver's homeless crisis: Disparities for Black community

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Black people represent 10.8% of Denver’s and 4.1% of Colorado’s populations, according to Census statistics. But they are almost four times more likely than other races to become homeless, according to the Point in Time count. They represent 4.11% of Colorado's population but 16.7% of people experiencing homelesssness. So why is that?

“We know the tone was set back in the day when Black people were treated like property instead of people,” said Dr. Terri Richardson of the Colorado Black Health Collaborative. Richardson made her remarks during an online panel discussion Thursday hosted by Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. She represented one of four panelists with deep knowledge of issues relating to race and homelessness.

Although Colorado did not play host to slavery, practices such as neighborhood “redlining” – keeping Black people out of more affluent, white areas – led to deep chasms in generational wealth building between white and Black people, the panelists said. “The history of slavery, segregation, widespread discrimination, redlining, discriminatory lending and appraisal practices, exclusionary housing policies, and ongoing racist systems have led to wide discrepancies in income, health, and housing stability along racial lines,” Andrew West of the Coalition stated at the beginning of the discussion. “While content today will not cover historic inequalities, the current landscape is directly related to historic practices.”

Why so many incarcerated Black people?

Black people also overrepresent in the criminal justice system. Incarceration causes generations of individuals to miss out on wealth-building, according to the panelists. Many cannot pay rent. Some people get out of jail in Denver and return to gentrified neighborhoods that they can no longer afford, the panelists said. Richardson said many Black people in Denver have moved to Aurora.

One of the difficulties with serving the homeless Black community is a lack of trust, said Patrick Wilson III of St. Clare’s Ministries. State Rep. Leslie Herod, also a panelist, said it is difficult to keep Black healthcare providers in their jobs. She said such providers are essential to providing lived experience to their patients. Richardson agreed, saying Black people do not want to “spend all of our time explaining the trauma we face or the stress of being Black in America.”

Lack of trust

Herod said some Black people do not trust white therapists to understand the struggles of people of color. “The Black experience is unique. Interventions for Black people might be different” than those for White, Latinx or other groups. She said Black people historically have not had access to quality healthcare. Still, many unhoused Black people receive diagnoses of schizophrenia or other conditions that might require institutionalization in jails or jail-like conditions, Richardson said.

Eric Tars of the National Homelessness Law Center said Black people who are LGBT are even further represented in the homeless ranks. Herod added LGBT healthcare providers also are needed. She said programs that encourage mental wellness must be innovative. She referenced a chess match program set up by one non-profit between children and mental health professionals. They build trust while having fun along the way, she said.

Organizations ‘built for whiteness’

Alexis Witham, Coalition spokesperson, said “so many organizations are built for whiteness and have power and money.” She said concentrated efforts must be made to include people of color in their staffs.

Richardson said Black people in Denver must work to “reclaim our community,” adding, “We lost our neighborhoods, but do we have to lose community?” She said the community needs unity now more than ever.