The City of Aurora is shuttering an apartment building with more than 90 units at 1568 Nome St. The reason? Years of unsafe conditions that property owner CBZ Management has failed to address, according to the city.
All residents of 1568 Nome St. had six days to pack their bags and be gone. Aurora Police could arrest anyone still there after 7 a.m. on Tuesday.
So on Monday afternoon, residents, many of them immigrants, scrambled.
Some threw away their belongings where trash had piled up outside the property. Others hoped to rent storage units or borrow space in friends’ and strangers’ garages. Some just stood against a wall looking at everything they owned and wondered what was next.
Where would they stay after they left 1568 Nome St.? Most people Denverite spoke to had no plan, but they’re trying to figure it out.
The City of Aurora says it’s doing what it must to keep residents safe.
“City management is obligated under the Aurora City Charter to enforce the city code and look out for the safety and welfare of all residents,” said Ryan Luby, a spokesperson for the City of Aurora. “1568 Nome St. is no longer suitable for human habitation. The building owners and managers made the decision to effectively abandon their paying tenants, and this is the unfortunate consequence. The risks of residents remaining in the building and being subjected to its rapidly deteriorating conditions are far too dire.”
Aurora officials say they are working with community organizations to provide “tangible solutions for the building’s residents.”
Aurora has found 85 rooms in 10 hotels and motels in the city where people can move, said Jessica Prosser, Aurora’s director of housing and community services. Eligible residents would be offered housing vouchers.
Prosser said the landlord typically pays for such relocation costs. In this case, the company is refusing, so the city is footing the bill — for now. Aurora plans to recover the costs from CBZ management at a later date.
A CBZ investor declined to speak on the record using his name with Denverite, so we declined to use his comments.
Volunteers say that if Aurora wants them to effectively shelter and house the residents of 1568 Nome St., they need more time.
Advocates are working hard to help residents in a crisis that some say has 'blatant' optics.
On Monday afternoon, a handful of caseworkers and volunteers — some bilingual and some not — gathered outside the complex to help connect panicked residents with social service organizations, motel rooms and more permanent housing.
Some were individuals lending a helping hand. Others came from nonprofits and activist groups, including the East Colfax Community Collective and Housekeys Action Network Denver.
V Reeves, an advocate with the HAND, was one of the people fielding multiple questions from families.
They have been a constant presence at homeless encampment closures and have seen firsthand how cities in the Denver Metro have handled both the homelessness and new immigrant crises.
“This has been especially heartbreaking and tragic to see,” Reeves said. “They're not caring about optics, or even attempting to look like they care or attempting to act like they're not racist. I feel like it's very blatant this time. I think it's a very clear sign that tenant rights don't matter if you're brown or if you're from another country and if you're a migrant here.”
For many, there's simply not enough time to figure out their next move.
Organizers and residents told Aurora officials they are uncertain they can help pull off the move by Tuesday morning.
Initially, organizers asked the city to keep the apartment building open for two additional months to give the residents time to make a plan.
Then, organizers dropped their demands to the full 15 days allowed for by the city’s charter.
“We highly welcome and encourage the coordination from the City of Aurora, but for people to access the resources that they've made available, we, the tenants and the community, are asking for a nine-day extension,” said Nate Kassa, an organizer with the East Colfax Community Collective at a Monday morning protest at the Aurora Municipal Center.
Andrea Fuenmayor, a mother of two, said she still has no place to go after she leaves.
“The only support I need is a little more time,” she said.
