It has been more than a month since Mayor Mike Johnston was sworn into office in July.
Since then, he declared a state of emergency on homelessness and vowed to shelter 1,000 people before Dec. 31. On Monday, City Council approved a $7 million request from Johnston's office for temporary pallet shelters and has a request for contractors out for groups to run the 11 proposed sites -- though some Council members have questions about how long term funding will shake out.
Meanwhile, activists want to see a greater focus on permanent housing.
Sweeps have continued, with Johnston citing health and safety to clear two encampments this summer.
And there have been lots and lots of meetings. In addition to meeting with advocates and people experiencing homelessness, Johnston's office has hosted 12 town halls throughout the city.
Six town halls remain, where residents can tell Johnston how they think things are going so far. Here's where they're happening and when:
- Sept. 5 at 6 p.m., at Denver Dumb Friends League, 2080 S. Quebec St.
- Sept. 7 at 6 p.m., at Joe Shoemaker School, 3333 S. Havana St.
- Sept. 13 at 4 p.m., at Ratio Beerworks Overland, 2030 S. Cherokee St.
- Sept. 13 at 5:30 p.m. (Spanish focused), at Valverde Elementary School, 2030 W. Alameda Ave.
- Sept. 14 at 4 p.m., at Globeville Recreation Center Birdseed Collective, 4496 Grant St.
- Sept. 26 at 4 p.m., at College View Recreation Center, 2525 S. Decantur St.
- Sept. 27 at 5:30 p.m., at Montbello Recreation Center, 15555 E. 53rd Ave.
- Sept. 28 at 5 p.m., at Evans School, 1115 Acoma St.
Residents can also join the meetings online.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with added town hall dates.
