Over this winter, hundreds of families lived out of sight in cars, tents and under bridges. When they asked for shelter from the city and nonprofits, many were denied, even as the city expanded its cold-weather shelter program.
Some families called the Salvation Army’s family homelessness hotline dozens of times with no answer. Many struggled to get into cold weather shelters during freezing cold days and nights. Most of those who were brought inside the emergency cold-weather shelters were released back to the streets with no connection with a case worker and no pathway toward a homeless shelter, much less housing.
Families, even those with children as young as six years old, say they’re not admitted to most of the city’s homeless shelters, which serve individuals. They feel invisible — unseen because they’re in cars, not camped out in obvious spots in downtown Denver.
One family told city workers that Denver police officers confiscated their car because they did not have insurance, leaving them with no roof to sleep under. Denver Police Department could not confirm whether this happened with limited information about the woman, but said that impounding a car over a lack of insurance is not normal.
Many families expressed fear of the police pushing them around the metro and potentially impounding their cars. Undocumented families also feared Immigration and Customs Enforcement finding them and detaining them.
Other families shared their stories of getting sick as they stayed outside in freezing temperatures.
Two parents faced truancy court because their kids were missing so many classes, as they criss-crossed the metro. Many of the unhoused families are new immigrants who face additional obstacles: a lack of documentation, no work authorization and a constant fear of deportation.
Denverite interviewed families, advocates, academics, city workers, nonprofit staff, and the mayor. We also sat in on a Denver City Council meeting where families begged lawmakers for support. We also reviewed data from the city’s cold-weather shelters and the Salvation Army’s family crisis hotline, which is the city’s main way to funnel families toward shelter.
Taxpayers have spent hundreds of millions on ending homelessness. Why are families living in their cars not able to receive basic shelter?
