In this 2023 file photo, a homeless camp surrounds a United States Post Office near 20th and Curtis in Denver. This camp and others like it were cleaned up by Mayor Mike Johnston using a housing-first approach. There are things you can’t unsee — people defecating, people shooting up, people having sex, people without pants, and piles of rat-infested trash. Nobody needs those images seared in the mind.
Aurora and Denver have camping bans on the books but thanks to lawsuits and lower-court rulings, enforcement has been uneven. The Supreme Court decision has removed that legal cloud. City authorities should take the opportunity to redouble their efforts to disband vagrant camps and put individuals on a path to sobriety, work, mental health, a home of their own, and self-reliance. Human beings respond to incentives and when life on the street is discouraged, they will be more likely to seek help.
According to city’s dashboard 1,623 homeless people have been housed in motel rooms, tiny houses, or other temporary accommodations. Of these, half remain in temporary shelters, a third have found permanent shelter, and the remainder have returned to the streets, died, went to jail, or their whereabouts are unknown.-oriented strategy should be commended for helping a third of program participants to secure permanent housing.
Whether they have implemented a Housing First or Work First program, both cities and their adjacent suburban communities should strictly enforce urban camping bans. Cities show abundant compassion for those who are struggling on the streets, but they can do a better job providing clean and secure public spaces for those who live, work, operate businesses, and raise families within city limits.