Denver to close four immigrant shelters as the city hits a "turning point"
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Denver will close four immigrant shelters over the next month — a move expected to save up to $60 million. That will lower the looming budget gap to $120 million, Mayor Mike Johnston announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: The strategy shift comes as the immigrant crisis has tightly squeezed city coffers, causing cutbacks to taxpayer services and sparking community backlash in response.
State of play: Denver has hit a "turning point," Johnston said, with fewer people arriving from the southern U.S. border as the city "doubles down" on case management efforts that connect them to work, housing and family in other cities.
- Consolidating current shelter sites from 10 to four was also made possible by the city's reinstatement of its 42-day length-of-stay policy, the mayor said.
By the numbers: As of Tuesday, Denver was serving about 2,440 people compared to a peak of 5,200 in mid-January.
The big picture: When asked what kind of message cutting shelter space sends to the immigrant community, Johnston told Axios Denver:
- "I don't think it changes any part of the message we've sent. What we've shown we can do is … manage folks [who] arrive successfully, we can exit them successfully with programming and services, and we can reduce city budgets."
- "But what we can't do is have a city that stays on the hook for $100 million in costs without any federal support," he added.
What they're saying: Some nonprofit leaders working with newcomers are applauding the city for setting bigger boundaries and coming to terms with what it can "realistically handle" without taking too much away from city services, particularly programs for kids.
- "If there's another wave" of new people, the city "is going to have to say, 'This is our limit,' just like everybody else," Yoli Casas, executive director of ViVe Wellness, a nonprofit that works with immigrants and low-income families, told us.
- "Denver is always going to be open and welcoming, but … we're at capacity," she said.
What we're watching: Johnston said the city is still considering cuts to reduce the budget deficit further and ways to make its immigrant programs more cost-effective.
- As the border crisis remains fluid with new surges of immigrants possible, Johnston said the city's strategy and budget shortfall could change — "but our plan is to try to close the shelters and keep them closed."