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New Shelter in Denver Only Welcomes Migrants from Zuni Street Camp

OCCUPANTS OF THE ZUNI CAMP | These migrants were moved to a shelter established with resources allocated by the Denver City Council. (Photo/The Commerce of Colorado)

CITY SPOKESPEOPLE RESPOND TO MIGRANTS SEEKING SHELTER IN THE NEW FACILITY

Newsroom El Comercio de Colorado

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Representatives from the city responded to migrant families who arrived at the McNichols Civic Center Building seeking shelter on the morning of Thursday, January 4. Access to the new shelter established at the cultural center was denied to this group of families. Two migrants we spoke to claimed they had been living in tents at the Zuni camp, yet they were still denied relocation to McNichols.

Other migrants seeking refuge in the new facility are currently housed at the Embassy Hotel or the Denver Rescue Mission shelter. The latter group of migrants complain about overcrowding in these accommodations and express a desire to be accepted into the new shelter, stating that there is sufficient space to accommodate them. These individuals were relocated from the McNichols entrance to another tent camp by a representative of the Homekeys Action Network Denver.

New Shelter in Denver Only Welcomes Migrants from Zuni Street Camp

The city representative’s message reads:

“When we opened two congregate shelters yesterday and made space at a third site for families, we did so with the goal of working specifically with the population at the Zuni encampment. Yesterday alone we were able to provide shelter for 277 people staying at that encampment, and that doesn’t include the people who we’ve already helped move into homes. By focusing on just this one group and using the money allocated to us by City Council we are able to take a targeted approach to get those individuals off the streets and into better situations.

We do not have the resources to keep those sites open indefinitely and we do not have the resources to provide housing to everyone arriving in Denver. We will continue to directly work with those experiencing homelessness and will for the next several days provide access to hundreds of beds as part of our cold weather shelter activation. We also encourage anyone experiencing homelessness to seek support from the many groups and nonprofits providing it in Denver.”