I Was Shocked At The Number Of Homeless (Denver, Highlands Ranch: apartment, rent)

[phlinak]

On the weekend before the Presidential election, I had the opportunity to briefly visit Denver for the first time ever.


Although, I only had a few hours to play tourist I liked what I saw enough to want to go back in the future with my wife for a longer visit. (First Saturday at the Denver Art Museum was an unexpected treat )


The one thing that really made me do a double take and come away shaking my head was the number of homeless people just hanging out in Civic Center Park. I mean the park was nice and I'm sure it would be really gorgeous in the spring when everything starts blooming but honestly, it felt sketchy because of the number of homeless people gathered in groups throughout the park.


Don't misunderstand me. I grew up walking the streets of Philly, especially Center City, so I understand that homeless people are part of life in a big city but the sheer number that I observed in one place really stood out. I couldn't help but feel like it was worse than what I normally see in Portland or Seattle.


Is this unusual or is it, sadly, normal for Denver?

[flamadiddle]

sadly, normal for Denver.

[phlinak]

Why do you think that is?


I can understand Portland and Seattle because their climates are more bearable but Denver???

[lovecrowds]

I notice alot more 20-somethings on the street in Denver then other cities. The only other city I have seen more homeless 20-somethings is Salt Lake City.

The homeless in Denver despite all the exotic news coverage are relatively calm and orderly.

Denver is nothing like the Salt Lake City when it comes to the homeless. The homeless in Salt Lake City are desperate and the robbery rate in that city is absolutely insane. Most of the homeless Denver are far more orderly.

At least Denver pays some lip-service to the issue and seems to be good at allocating it's very thin resources to the most severely physically and mentally ill homeless. Not to bring up Salt Lake City but no other city in the nation ignores the homelesness like Salt Lake City.

Colorado and Utah have a terrible safety-net for people down on their luck. Employers despite the labor shortage are very picky in Denver. The city has massive flop-houses for shelters that are basically just there to keep people from freezing. I guess at least Denver makes room for the homeless one the coldest nights.

The only safety-net Denver has that some places don't have is that it opted into the Medicaid expansion where the state pays 10% and federal government pays 90%. I guess that at least gives some stability and medical care to the homeless in Denver as opposed to other cities and is one of the reasons why it seems so much tamer in Denver.

Employers in Denver are extremely selective and then wonder why they are always short employees. I have a family member who is management for a company that always has a massive labor shortage yet they are super selective about whom they hire.

Rents are also relatively high in Denver. The weekly motels tend to be 400 dollars after taxes or more weekly, which is double the rate of many cities. They also have very few rooming houses compared to many cities.

I have noticed it is very common for young adults to just move to Denver out of the blue without a job or way to pay for an apartment. Landlords in Denver tend to be super, super selective and will only rent to stellar applicants.

I will say Denver isn't nearly as bad as Salt Lake City per-capita when it comes to homelessness though. The homeless residents are downright orderly compared to Salt Lake City.

I live in Phoenix area and it is very rare to see a twenty-something year old guy on the streets. There seem to be alot of older homeless women and men though. I remember Las Vegas being like that also with the homeless population having a much older age component to it then Denver.

[Tim Tim Tim]

Do the areas in southern Denver (highlands ranch, littleton, parker, castle rock) have as many homeless or are they more in the inner city areas?

[flamadiddle]

Yeah, I remember walking by the Greyhound bus station on 18th St. one day and a twentyish year old guy asked me where the shelter was located. He just got off a bus. Seemed like a normal guy and it seemed strange to me, but I told him where to go. He never asked for money or anything, just how to find the shelter. He apparently had no job and just decided Denver was the place for him. I'm sure the legal weed has some draw. I felt bad for the guy. I couldn't imagine just getting on a bus and landing somewhere without a job or place to live.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by Tim Tim Tim

Do the areas in southern Denver (highlands ranch, littleton, parker, castle rock) have as many homeless or are they more in the inner city areas?

Most of the transients hang around Civic Center Park, the Cherry Creek Trail, and the 16th Street Mall.

[Timmyy]

Originally Posted by Tim Tim Tim

Do the areas in southern Denver (highlands ranch, littleton, parker, castle rock) have as many homeless or are they more in the inner city areas?

I know of one homeless guy near my house in Highlands Ranch. He hangs out at the Safeway parking lot and is really harmless. He says hi to everyone. Other than that I haven't seen any not even at intersections asking for money.

[SkyDog77]

I just spent the week in San Francisco. Denver does have a homeless problem, but it's not even remotely close to what I just saw in SF.

[headingtoDenver]

Originally Posted by Tim Tim Tim

Do the areas in southern Denver (highlands ranch, littleton, parker, castle rock) have as many homeless or are they more in the inner city areas?

I don't think I've ever seen a homeless person here in Castle Rock. Of course that doesn't mean they don't exist, it just means I haven't seen any, or maybe I did and I just didn't know they were homeless. Not all homeless hang out with cardboard signs asking for money I guess.