Aurora brings order to the homeless

STARTING ON APRIL 28 CAMPS IN PUBLIC SITES TO BE ILLEGAL

Newsroom El Comercio de Colorado

Haga click aquí para leer la versión en español

On April 28, the new ordinance in the city of Aurora that makes homeless encampments in public places illegal will go into effect. This ordinance can also be applied when landowners or establishments request the intervention of the city to evict unauthorized encampments established on their property. “This is an ordinance that is compassionate to the homeless and fair to the rest of the city’s residents,” said Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, the bill’s sponsor.

The Aurora ordinance indicates that notification will be given to those who spend the night in a camp. Those people will have 72 hours to leave the place. But anyone who refuses to vacate after police notification would be arrested and subject to other penalties. “The bottom line is that the city is committed to providing alternative shelter to evicted homeless people. In these shelters they will have clean water, food, and shelter. Unlike the encampments that are a threat to public health and safety,” he said.

Coffman responds to critics of the ordinance. “We are not criminalizing homeless people. There are no fines or penalties for being part of a homeless encampment. There would only be one instance of arrest, to those who refuse to evict. But, we are guaranteeing the evicted a roof over their head.Others complain about the cost of implementation. I say that any cost will be less than the economic damage to our city than the camps full of garbage or where people live in unfortunate conditions,” he asserted.

Fending for themselves

The mayor attributes a historical value to the ordinance. “We want to address the biggest problem in the city for about five years. Coffman states that “there are two philosophies to deal with the problem.One is the scheme that Denver adopted and that consists of providing housing to the homeless. That ‘Housing First’ model I think is incomplete because it does little to change the behavior and habits of the homeless.”

According to the mayor, Aurora would be developing another model. Coffman indicates that “we want the homeless to become self-sufficient people. For this reason we talk about “Work First” because we want homeless people to receive mental health care and care for their other basic needs. But, they will also receive guidance to join the labor market.

Success Indicator

Expectations for the implementation of the new ordinance are high. “We will consider that we have been successful when the homeless people who have come to our shelters are able to work and have mastered their addictions. Ideally, they get to have their own apartment, their own home. The ultimate purpose is for the homeless to become self-sufficient,” Coffman concluded.