City response to homelessness calls draws council ire
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City Council members are demanding more accountability for the city's response to homelessness complaints.
Why it matters: The city's street engagement teams are often the public's first point of contact about encampments and other homelessness-related issues.
- But officials have little feedback from residents about whether those responses are actually working well.
Driving the news: During a Wednesday briefing, City Council members pressed Erin Atencio, city director for Roads to Recovery, about the multi-agency effort.
- The city receives thousands of calls every year to manage low-level violations, including requests to enforce the city's urban camping ban and RV regulations.
Yes, but: Council members want clarity on response times and how the mayor's administration tracks success.
Case in point: Nearly 70% of calls are marked "resolved" because no one is present when a city team arrives at a location, not necessarily because the issue is fixed.
- The discrepancy prompted Councilmember Kevin Flynn to add a "resolution" that would require more work to determine whether the issue was resolved.
The intrigue: Officials received nearly 2,500 street engagement requests since February — but just 38 people responded to a survey about the city's services, Wednesday's presentation revealed.
- A representative of the mayor's office said the city wants more feedback and is working on a way to get it.
Zoom in: Council members also pressed officials about enforcement involving RVs — an increasingly common method for people to stay sheltered — which can take multiple days to resolve.
- Councilmember Amanda Sawyer said the city needs to do more to hold "repeat offenders" accountable.
What we're watching: Council members' questions come as Mayor Mike Johnston's All in Mile High strategy faces frequent scrutiny and criticism over costs and whether its reported results actually reflect conditions on Denver's streets.
- The mayor's office earlier this year said it had delivered a 64% drop in street homelessness since Johnston took office.