11 16 PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT ON HORIZON AS STRUGGLES WITH HOMELESS INTENSIFY By Caroline Schomp “I have a homeless man … who has made his home … next to my garage. I ‘kicked him’ out last year but he’s been back and totally moved in this year.” This post on Nextdoor.com, the neighborhood social networking site, cited complaints with the trash, drug use and the increasing aggressiveness of an unwanted “guest.” It ended with a plaintive, “What can I do?” This post generated more than 50 replies, some with similar stories, ranging from anger, “Spray them with a garden hose,” to sympathetic, “People may be homeless, transient, addicted, mean, aggressive or annoying. But they are never ‘scum.’” Several lamented the inability of the police to curb the problem. A few asked how they themselves could have an impact on homelessness in Denver. A point-in-time survey of homelessness in the seven-county metro area, conducted last January, counted 5,467 homeless people; 66 percent are found in the City and County of Denver. Most experts believe the number is much higher. According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, the top causes of homelessness among families are lack of affordable housing, unemployment, poverty and low wages. Among individuals, the causes are lack of affordable housing, unemployment, poverty, mental illness/lack of needed services and substance abuse/lack of needed services. 11 years out, it’s clear former Mayor John Hickenlooper’s “10 Year Plan to End Homelessness” didn’t succeed. “By virtue that it didn’t come close to ending homelessness in 10 years, it points out the depth of the problem,” said District 6 City Councilman Paul Kashmann, vice chairman of the City Council committee that deals
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Malala Yousafzai and her father, Ziauddin, in the South High School library speaking to South students. Malala made a surprise visit there Oct. 21. More on page 11. Photo by Lance McClure with homelessness. A 2015 report from the Denver Auditor’s Office blasted Denver’s Road Home for coming up short in its homelessness efforts. The City acknowledged the ongoing homelessness crisis in May of 2012, when City Council passed the Unauthorized Camping Ordinance, banning people from camping on public or private property, partly based on the administration’s promises of more resources for the homeless. Property owners and businesses demanded the camping ban, arguing that homeless people frightened customers and tourists and trashed areas of downtown where they congregated. Homeless agencies and civil rights advocates contended the ordinance would simply
NEW DPS BOYS MIDDLE SCHOOL TO OPEN 2017, ADMINISTRATORS CLOSE TO SIGNING LEASE By Jennifer Turner The Boys School of Denver, a new Denver Public Schools charter school, will open next fall and welcome its first class of 6th graders. Administrators are in the final stages of lease negotiations for a temporary space for the school. The Boys School is based on the highly successful instructional model of the Girls Athletic Leadership School (GALS). In its seventh year of operation, GALS is located in the former Del Pueblo school
at 750 Galapago St. It is currently the only all-girls public school in Colorado and The Boys School will be the only public all-boys school. There is a high probability The Boys School will be located near GALS. “It’s time we have a school created for boys. The boys in our community can really benefit from the same environment and curriculum that has made GALS such a success,” said The Boys School Head of School Nick Jackson. For the past two years, Jackson has been teaching sixth grade Language Arts at GALS and coached the 12-0 soccer team. He plans to add a grade level per year at The Boys School and says there will be 100-120 spots for sixth graders for the 2017-2018 school year.
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force Denver’s homeless into neighborhoods and they cast doubt on the city’s promises to step up with resources. Both were correct. Clearly neighborhoods—especially those closer to downtown, including Capitol Hill, Uptown and Washington Park—are encountering more homeless people, even while city resources have continued to increase. “The City continues to be between a rock and a hard place. It’s not our intent to have people sleeping outdoors, but we have them,” said Angie Nelson, program administrator for Denver’s Road Home. “Most people don’t see our work,” said Julie Smith, director of marketing and communications for Denver continued on page 10
Liz Wolfson and Nina Safane founded GALS Denver. The two have similar upbringings; both attended public schools in New Jersey and graduated from Brown University, 20 years apart. Sports also played an integral role in each woman’s life. Both were college athletes; Wolfson played field hockey and Safane was on the rugby team. Safane’s rugby coach introduced her to Wolfson. The inspiration for GALS came to Wolfson at a time when she was searching for a way to incorporate more physical movement into her corporate professional life, beyond just going for a run each day. Based on her own experience, Wolfson knew sports could help build feelings of self-worth and empowerment in young women while improving their overall physical health and wellness. Around the same time, Wolfson, who is not an educator, continued on 12
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