 City wants homeless inside for convention Now I wonder about this article. I use to work in a homeless shelter, so I do know well that so many folks that can get help, do, but they live in a cycle of habitual homelessness for squandering the resources that are time and again given to them. Still this news article bears some thought and perhaps a healthy dialog here to consider the plight of the homeless AND the facade of politics. And I do not believe that security is threatened so much by homeless folk as otherwise. The Link OD Quote:
Emergency shelter will open during '08 Dem gathering
By Stuart Steers, Rocky Mountain News
May 15, 2007
Denver plans to clear downtown streets of the homeless during the Democratic National Convention here in 2008.
The city will open an emergency shelter normally used during winter deep freezes, and keep other shelters in the city open 24 hours during the August gathering. In addition, an army of outreach workers will fan out across downtown to persuade the homeless to come inside during the convention.
"Shelters will be open the entire time to make certain everyone can go inside and that the outreach folks have a place to take any person from the streets," said Roxane White, Denver's manager of human services.
White said the effort is motivated by security concerns and is not just an effort to spruce up Denver's image at a time when the city will be under a media spotlight.
Special attention will be paid to the "security zone" around the Pepsi Center, which includes the South Platte River, a favorite campground for the homeless.
For several years Denver has operated an emergency shelter during winter cold snaps. The shelter, which has been in different locations, is intended to handle overflow from the city's permanent homeless shelters.
However, the ranks of the chronically homeless have been shrinking in Denver recently, and city officials have speculated they may not need to open the emergency shelter again. But that won't be the case come 2008, when there will be an all-out effort to bring everyone inside.
"They will have to clear the security perimeter, and we have already asked that our outreach workers be involved in those efforts," said White.
Other cities that hosted national political conventions have mounted similar efforts to get the homeless off the street. Cities try to put their best face forward during the events, which bring swarms of national media.
Denver's commission to end homelessness met Monday to approve revisions to its 10-year plan.
In the past two years, the group has moved hundreds of people into housing and treatment programs.
The commission soon will appeal to dozens of downtown restaurants to hire the homeless.
"Our goal is to have a way to reestablish the work ethic and get (the homeless) plugged into an industry that has a demand for them," said Deborah Ortega, director of the commission. Copyright 2007, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.
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Last edited by OhDear; 05-15-2007 at 09:22 AM.
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