Mike Johnston issues emergency declaration for homelessness in Denver

• The emergency operations center will be activated for the homelessness declaration starting July 24 to coordinate the response.

Why it matters: The declaration will help Denver access state and federal money for homelessness — though he didn't specify how much money the city will be requesting.

State of play: This marks the first time Denver has issued such a declaration for homelessness, emergency management director Matthew Mueller tells us.

• The city has a separate one related to its migrant response that expires Aug. 21.

By the numbers: Johnston estimated there are roughly 1,400 unsheltered people in Denver.

• The city has identified 197 potential sites to host micro-communities for housing.

Zoom out: Cities like Portland and Los Angeles have issued similar declarations — with few results.

• Neither city has seen a significant improvement with Portland extending its emergency status at least five times since first enacting it in 2015.
• Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the city has cut red tape toward building housing after extending its declaration last week after it was first issued in December.

Of note: It's not clear how much the entire effort will cost Denver.