Denver Out Loud Files Petition on Behalf of Homeless in Colorado
Denver Out Loud – Spearhead for Homeless Rights in Colorado
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A brutal Hobson’s choice, where homeless can either sleep in overcrowded shelters in beds inches from people exhibiting classic symptoms of the disease, or out on the streets where they are often the victims of abuse and violent crime.
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From Denver Out Loud
LEGAL ACTION FILED FOR HOUSING TO BE OPENED FOR HOUSELESS IN THIS COVID-19 CRISIS
Writ of Mandamus Filed TODAY — Press Release Below
Denver, CO—Homeless advocacy groups have come together from around the State to address the nightmare confronting thousands of Colorado homeless during this pandemic crisis. A brutal Hobson’s choice, where homeless can either sleep in overcrowded shelters in beds inches from people exhibiting classic symptoms of the disease, or out on the streets where they are often the victims of abuse and violent crime.
The conditions in shelters and state mismanagement of homelessness in the time of pandemic, not only affects Coloradans suffering homelessness, but towns and cities across Colorado as the shelters serve as ideal hotspots for spread and retransmission of the virus. As of press time, at least ten homeless persons in shelters have tested positive for Covid-19. The number is almost certainly much higher as testing has been widely unavailable.
In a rare move, these groups courageously advocating for the invisible, voiceless and most vulnerable in our society are demanding, through this Extraordinary Petition, that the State fulfill its obligations with regard to public health and take steps to immediately mitigate the conditions in the shelters by providing housing to the homeless during this crisis. Cities and states around the country are stepping up to provide housing in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, e.g. Santa Fe, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Connecticut. Colorado must follow and go beyond by protecting every person in this state.
The Extraordinary Petition was filed this morning, a part of it found just below:
– Fort Collins, Colorado has approximately three shelters for the homeless with an estimated homeless population of 430 , according to the recent Point in Time survey by HUD. Plaintiffs who work with this community assert that half of the homeless population in Fort Collins is elderly, immuno-compromised and therefore more highly susceptible to Covid – 19. Shelter conditions in Fort Collins range from crowded to less crowded, i.e. people frequently gathering in numbers that are much larger than
- a. Beds and mats are separated by a distance of no more than three feet and usually much less.
- b. Bathroom are limited and shared.
- c. Majority of shelters operating at or near capacity; and not designed for social distancing — so that thousands have no choice but to violate governmental guidelines and orders issued since the inception of this epidemic.
- d. Reports of man , many people in shelters showing classic symptoms of Covid-19
- e. As of today, at least 10 homeless persons have tested positive for the virus, but due to extremely limited testing, there are certainly many more.
- f. Reports of breathing machines being used at one of the Denver Shelters in spaces no way intended for medical care.
- g. Bussing is required to shelters where homeless persons are forced to stand in crowded lines then ride in close quarters.
- h. Much of the food is still served in mass congregate settings, i.e. where homeless persons are standing in line with large numbers of people and sitting at tables with hundreds of people eating food.
The homeless situation will increase exponentially. First thing we should is confiscate all Trump properties and turn them into homeless shelters around the world!
what boulder should do is require all this massive construction being done by Amazon and google to include a third of the new units be allocated to the homeless