Denver is extending its contract with Environmental Hazmat Services Inc. (EHS), the company that provides medical, drug and other waste cleanup services at places like homeless encampments and parks. City Council approved the six-month extension Monday.
Homeless advocates, though, want to see the city part ways with the company because they say EHS staff have a reputation for mistreatment of people living on the streets.
“They tend to have a very aggressive, cruel and demeaning attitude towards the unhoused,” said homeless rights activist Amy Beck, citing her personal experiences supporting people living in encampments during sweeps.
Denverite reached out to Environmental Hazmat Services Inc. for comment but did not hear back before time of publication.
Will Fenton, Denver Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) spokesperson, said during a Council presentation last week that the department planned to open a new request for proposals (RFP) for a contractor when the current contract ends next month, but that the department was at capacity and did not have enough time to put the RFP together.
The six-month extension approved by City Council on Monday night will help the department avoid a gap in service while also seeking out a new potential service provider. Without the extension, the city would be without medical and drug cleanup services for months, including the critical year-end stretch when Mayor Mike Johnston’s House1000 campaign works to clear encampments and direct residents to non-congregate shelters.
“DDPHE takes into account advocate concerns, which is why the contract was previously amended in 2021 to require EHS employees attend and pass city-sponsored sensitivity training related to people experiencing homelessness and specify that EHS never engage with or negotiate with members of the public on behalf of the city in on-site clean-ups, always deferring to city representatives,” said DDPHE spokesperson Ryann Money. “This allows EHS to focus on what they are equipped and trained to do: clean up hazardous waste and impacted spaces.”
Councilmember Sarah Parady was the sole no-vote on passing the contract out of committee to all of Council, raising alarm about the company. City Council passed the contract unanimously Monday.
“I think this contract and this contractor has been an ongoing source of mistrust that unhoused people have for the city and I unfortunately think that’s been well earned to be very blunt,” Parady said after the committee vote. “I’m pleased that it’s only a six-month extension that we’re talking about here, but I still have a lot of concerns that I hope will do better in the next iteration of this contract.”
She questioned the company’s management of the city’s storage facility where belongings of people experiencing homelessness affected by encampment sweeps are stored.
A report from the Denver Auditor’s Office released in April found that the city was mishandling the aftermath of sweeps, including how it stores personal belongings. The report found that the storage facility operated short time windows for people to pick up belongings and that, in some cases, staff threw away belongings before the 60-day limit. The Auditor’s Office also found invoices with Environmental Hazmat Services Inc. showing that the city overpaid for services.
But Auditor’s Office spokesperson Tayler Overschmidt said that the audit covered operations between January 2019 and June 2022, and that the city had accepted all of the department’s recommendations.
“Comparing any current operations to the results from the audit may not be apples-to-apples,” Overschmidt said. “In this case, it would be most appropriate to allow the new administration time to successfully make the changes before commenting on current activities.”
Fenton said the city plans to go through a new RFP process by the time the six-month extension ends.
That does not necessarily mean the city will find a new contractor. Last time the city put out an RFP for this work, four bidders applied for the contract. Fenton said the city cannot currently do this work in-house because things like needle and drug disposal require special training and equipment.
Beck said she wants the city to consider breaking up the RFP into different services. Currently, EHS provides cleanup, as well as security and management of the city storage site for belongings taken during sweeps.
Money said the city will keep the services together for the RFP, but that the department would be open to selecting multiple contractors and breaking up the services depending on who responds to the RFP.
Separating those two could provide opportunities for other contractors for both services, Beck said. She also wants the city to do a better job of initiating cleanup only after all people have left encampment sites.
“We would like to see trash companies come in that are willing to work with the outreach teams, and show some compassion, and some kindness and get on board with Mayor Johnston’s plan for camp decommissioning, rather than continuing to just come from an enforcement stance,” Beck said.
