Running head: GROUP PAPER

Group Paper: Homeless In Capitol Hill

Jessica Corral & Jason Lester

University of Denver

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Background and Introduction

According to HUD (2011), homelessness is largely an urban

phenomenon, with the most recent estimates indicating that

roughly two-thirds of the homeless population is located in

principal cities. In the U.S., more than 3.5 million people

experience homelessness each year. Thirty five percent of the

homeless population in America is families with children, which

is the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.

Twenty-three percent are U.S. military veterans. Twenty five

percent are children under the age of 18 years. Thirty percent

have experienced domestic violence and twenty five percent of all

homeless people suffer from mental illness. In urban communities,

people experience homelessness for an average of eight months

(studentsagainsthunger.org).

Like many cities in America, it is not uncommon to see

homeless individuals in the Capitol Hill area of Denver.

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Regardless of race, gender, sexual identity, sexual orientation,

and disability, homelessness affects everyone. The last survey

was taken in January of 2014 and found that 5,812 individuals

were experiencing homelessness and 2,230 people were at-risk of

homelessness in the Denver area. In Denver County, thirty six

percent were women and forty three percent of the “households”

were families with children. Additionally, twenty four percent of

the individuals surveyed were newly homeless, meaning they have

been homeless less than a year and this is their first time to

experience homelessness

(http://www.tgpdenver.org/homelessnessfaq).

Homeless individuals are affected daily with struggles that

usually seem unbearable. The primary struggles for most homeless

individuals are in the realms of economics. Homeless individuals

are unable to afford housing and the poverty gap continues to

widen. Coupled with low income earning and the lack of affordable

healthcare, homeless individuals become a part of a vicious cycle

that does not lend much support to those it affects. In this

group paper, we will discuss the social issue of homelessness in

the Capitol Hill area of Denver.

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Asset-map

The northwest corner of Capitol Hill, where a significant

amount of Denver’s homeless live and congregate, encompasses

Broadway Street to the west, East Colfax Avenue to the north,

Washington Street to the east, and 11th Avenue to the south.

While these are part of the boarders of Capitol Hill and the

focus of our research into this community, some assets north of

this area will be highlighted because of the unique services they

offer. Based on a windshield analysis this area has many

beneficial assets that provide service, support, and community

building for Denver’s homeless.

Government and non-government organizations.

Capitol Hill is the heart of the Denver metro area and holds

both government and non-governmental agencies that provide

leadership and support services to this population and the wider

community. The Colorado State Capitol Building, Denver City and

County Building, Colorado Refugee Services Program, and Denver

County Court manage and control city, county, and state

government, administration, and law. There is the Denver Office

of Economic Development, Colorado Office of Economic Development

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and International Trade, HUD Regional Office, and Colorado

Department of Human Services which all have various

responsibilities to development and social progress. Non-profits

located in this area include the Denver Rescue Mission, The

Gathering Place, Downtown Denver YMCA, Colorado Coalition for the

Homeless, Senior Support Services, and SafeHouse Denver among

many others. These organizations specifically provide support

services to homeless individuals in the city as well as other

marginalized communities such as immigrants, refugees, and youth

of color.

Community volunteer groups and networks.

In this area the opportunities for citizens to get involved

in the homeless community and others through volunteering are

great. All of the non-governmental agencies have programs for

volunteer service. Some recent positions listed on United Way

Denver are a data entry analyst for Metro Denver Homeless

Initiative, TechFair assistants for OpenWorld Learning (an

afterschool technology learning program), a dishwasher for

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Project Angel Heart (nutritious meal provider for needy families

and individuals), and even a volunteer yoga instructor for the

Children’s Outreach Project (“Volunteer Needs”).

Physical assets: Land, property, buildings, equipment, buses,

trains.

This area of Capitol Hill includes parks that are a popular

area for Denver’s homeless as well as tourists and business

people who pass through. Civic Center Park and United Nations

Park sit directly adjacent to the Capitol Building and have large

open marble monuments, benches, and shaded areas that bring

people together. Other notable buildings that add to this area’s

history and culture are Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate

Conception, Saint John’s Cathedral, and First Church of Christ,

Scientist including many others. The Denver Art Museum is a

unique architectural feature of the area with its design that

make the building appear to be balancing on a corner.

Transportation by light rail provides stops just west in the

downtown area near the Colorado Convention Center and Theatre

District; however, the free MallRide that travels along 16th

Street between Union Station and the Civic Center provides fast

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and easy transport and is a short walk from the park. Bus lines

that circulate are the 0, 10, 15/15L, and the 44 costing $2.25

for a local fare and $4.00 for express. The AF will take

travelers to the Denver International Airport from Union Station

that is accessible by MallRide. Additionally, there are a number

of bicycle rental stations that cost $9 for a 24-hour pass but

require a credit card

Economic assets: Production of people, consumer spending,

business assets.

Capitol Hill and the surrounding downtown area is one of the

main commercial centers of the city. Wells Fargo is notable

business that has many corporate offices along Broadway, The

Brown Palace is a high end, exclusive hotel and restaurant that

often hosts celebrities and political officials. Paramount

Theater, The Colorado Trust, many coffee shops, and some

marijuana dispensaries add to the area’s eclectic business

environment. Many restaurants like Subway, McDonalds, and Chick-

fil-A for fast food and higher end establishments such as Mizuna,

Luca, and Charcoal Restaurant. There is one grocery store near

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this area, a Whole Foods, but many convenience stores like 7-11

that carry a very small section of fresh food. There are shopping

centers like Denver Pavilions and the 16th Street Mall just

outside of the area. Small specialty shops selling jewelry,

antiques, vintage clothing, and gifts cater to tourists and

locals looking for unique products.

Stories: Heritage, local/cultural values and identity.

According to history of the area from Denver.org, Capitol

Hill has been the central location for the city’s LGBTQ and punk

communities. Each year the city holds Denver PrideFest parade and

festival which is one of the largest celebrations of its kind in

the nation. There is also the annual Cinco de Mayo festival that

takes place along the State Capitol Building and Civic Center

Park (“Capitol Hill/Congress Park”).

Intersection of Clinical and Community Analysis

For the homeless community in general, finding supportive

agencies that offer needed services and hope may be a challenge.

However, in Denver there are a number of agencies dedicated to

serving this community. The Gathering Place is the city’s only

daytime drop-in center for women, children, and transgender

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individuals. They offer basic needs services including meals,

emergency staples (toiletries, baby items, clothing, etc.),

laundry services, access to computers and phones, and temporary

shelter referrals. Relationship building and personal growth

programs involve group activities, GED prep, core educational

skills tutoring, and job readiness training (“Programs &

Serices”). Unlike The Gathering Place, The Colorado Coalition

for the Homeless also provides a variety of services but includes

some clinical treatments for this population as well. They offer

healthcare that includes mental health and substance abuse

counselling, housing placements and referrals, childcare support,

employment assistance, and transportation needs. According to

their website, CCH serves “2,300 households on any given night;

18,000 patients a year; and 53 programs that work to end

homelessness for more than 15,000 adults and children each year”

(“What We Do”). Other agencies that indicate services provided on

a micro-macro along with CCH are Stout Street Clinic, Beacon

Place, and Denver CARES Addictions Rehabilitation that

specializes in the veteran population.

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The Gathering Place is the only daytime shelter provided for

women, children, and transgendered individuals in the city.

Services are delivered from the main facility at no cost to the

visitors and require only signing of basic paperwork (no ID

required) and a Community Agreement form to maintain a safe and

welcoming environment for all visitors. Since this is not an

overnight shelter, there is not the capacity issues experienced

by other agencies so most visitors are provided services (L.

Felder, personal communication, March 11, 2015). Annetta

Crecelius, Communications Manager at The Colorado Coalition for

the Homeless, said CCH has a similar model of service delivery

but differs by providing a wider network of affiliated offices

that can meet a greater number of needs for the homeless

community in Denver (A. Crecelius, personal communication, March

11, 2015). Based on information from the many support agencies in

Denver, collectively they provide a network of help that

addresses the variety of problems homeless individuals face. Some

focus on only providing overnight shelter, others simply meals,

and then many have a collection of services that deal with

physical, social, and psychological issues. Denver’s homeless

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population may be a feature of the city that is well known but

those invested in solving the problem are doing so

collaboratively and this is major strength in their work.

Barriers that prevent efficient and inclusive accesses to

services are the high cost of public transportation in the city

and the lack of free and wide access to information technologies.

According to Leeann Felder of The Gathering Place, the most

common complaint from visitors is the difficulty in affording RTD

(L. Felder, personal communication, March 11, 2015). Include the

price of a partner or children and the need to get to many places

in the city and the cost can be a hindrance to seeking support

services. As of now, not many agencies are provided subsidized

bus passes which if provided by the city would increase the

success of meeting the needs of this population (L. Felder).

Also, with the move to digital information, it is very difficult

for some to access free use of computers and phones to research

their options. It is possible members of this community to be

aware of an agency but finding information about their services

is a significant hurdle to overcome. When individuals can access

phone or computer resources, the phone line 2-1-1 is a city

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information number that individuals can call if they have

questions about what services are available to them. Equally, a

new website called AuntBertha.com provides information about all

levels of city services and organizations and is maintained by

users so up-to-date information and reviews are available to

those searching the database.

An interesting recent development in understanding the needs

of the homeless population in Denver is the conversation

surrounding how Colorado’s legalization of marijuana may be

exacerbating the problem. According to the Denver Post, the

legalization of recreational marijuana is becoming a draw for

many homeless out of state to come to Colorado and Denver,

specifically. This is straining the support network that is often

burdened with full caseloads already (McGhee, 2014).

Additionally, many cite the rapid economic development of the

city and increase in rent prices that are driving low-income

individuals and families into homelessness (Rodgers and Hobbs,

2015). Often times it takes one crisis, the loss of a job, the

increase of rent, or a medical emergency to create a situation

where an individual or family ends up homeless. These people are

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often without social support networks that provide shelter

options when crises occur. If the city does not work toward

creating a safety net of housing that is affordable and inclusive

for vulnerable people in Denver then the likelihood that even

with the right supportive services, individuals in this community

may not be able to find permanent housing.

Theoretical Application: Community Development & Community Mobilization

The two models that appear to be used mostly are the models

of community development and community mobilization in regard to

fixing homelessness in Denver. Community development allows

individuals to gain self-help and use local resources to improve

their situations. In regard to homelessness, many organizations

are in place to combat homelessness and assist homeless

individuals with tools needed to bounce back from homelessness.

An example of community development is the Denver Rescue Mission.

The Denver Rescue Mission provides three key services for

homeless individuals. The three services are emergency care,

rehabilitation, and family services. The emergency care

assistance focuses on giving homeless individuals food, clothing,

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shelter, medical support and client support. The rehabilitation

assistance is put in place to deal with abuse, addictions and

heart ships. Lastly, the family services features transitional

living programs, rent deposit assistance, and family refugee

assistance in collaboration with Lutheran Family Services. All of

these services put in place have been successful in helping

homeless individuals rehabilitate. Furthermore, community members

donate daily to the programs at the Denver Rescue Mission. The

organization also receives federal funding to develop new

innovations in regard to combating homelessness.

Community mobilization is also used in the Capitol Hill area

of town. Essentially, there is always a campaign happening to

engage the community to receive contributions. An example of this

is the Denver’s Road Home program. The program has billboards,

donation stations and ongoing campaigns to engage the community

in donating funds to combat homelessness. Denver’s Road Home

signature event is PJ Day. Annually, their marketing team

promotes combating homelessness by engaging community members and

City of Denver employees in wearing pajamas to work while

donating five dollars to Denver’s Road Home. The funds raised

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annually are impressive and given to organizations that assist

homeless individuals. The Mayor of Denver, Michael B. Hancock,

also supports the events and whenever given the opportunity, he

invites others to support Denver’s Road Home. Perhaps the most

unique fundraising function of this organization is at the

airport. Upon going through the security lines, many traveling

individuals are annoyed spare change. Due to their commitment to

the community mobilization model, Denver’s Road Home has donation

stations that encourage travelers to donate their spare change to

their coin collectors. Both community development and community

mobilization has been used in the Capitol Hill area of town. Both

models have engaged the community to take a stand against

homelessness.

Promising Practices & Interventions

Nationwide there are a number of innovating programs working

to support and serve homeless populations. Many of the most

effective are proving to be collaborative and holistic efforts

where not one aspect of the problem is addressed but the whole

person, history, environment, and outside forces are taken into

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account. The following are three new and promising examples of

service providers, governments, and community members rallying to

bring an end to homelessness in any way possible.

Project Homeless Connect (PHC)

Project Homeless Connect is an initiative started in San

Francisco in 2004 by Mayor Gavin Newsom and the San Francisco

Department of Public Health. The mission was to bring together in

one location a service delivery system that would address the

critical needs of the city’s homeless population and create a

community led solution for a community problem (“Our Mission”).

In a one day event located at a conference center, government

agencies, nonprofit organizations, and business provide their

services for the homeless and low-income population in the area.

Services have included: dental care, optometrist appointments and

glasses fittings, health screening including HIV, food, clothing,

hygiene products distribution; mental health, employment, and

legal services among many others. According to the organization,

PHC has served over 75,000 homeless and low-income individuals in

San Francisco with the help of nearly 50,000 volunteers

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(“Results”). As of 2014, PHC has spread to over 300 cities

nationwide (Wang).

An initiative like Project Homeless Connect emphasizes the

power of bringing together a community of diversely skilled,

resourced, knowledgeable, and action oriented individuals for

immediately addressing the effects of homelessness. This event’s

services allow homeless individuals to get the help they need in

the moment instead of months later when situations may have

changed. This is an innovative response because it shows that

some of the barriers to overcoming homelessness are superficial

at the base such as the need for dentures and a haircut to look

professional at a job interview or legal services to work out an

eviction dispute. Additionally, bringing together a large

percentage of the homeless and low-income populations at one time

in one location makes those who serve and the public who can be

informed of the event totally aware of the scale of the problem.

Serving thousands of people in one day likely produces a sense of

overwhelming need but that is often necessary to get individuals

who have the ability to help motivate toward action.

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10-Year Plan to End Homelessness in New Orleans

The National Alliance to End Homelessness provided a

snapshot of the homeless initiative in New Orleans. The city

announced in January of this year that it is the first in the

country to end homelessness for the city’s veterans. According to

the report, the program involved drafting a 10-Year Plan to End

Homelessness and the formation of the New Orleans Interagency

Council on Homelessness (“Community Snapshot”). The focus of

leadership was an eight-pronged approach with leadership,

partnerships, the master list, navigators, removing barriers,

finding new pathways to housing, data collection and sharing and

taking the next step. Leadership involved direct participation

from Major Landrieu in setting the goal and maintaining

accountability. Creating partnerships asked for the city to have

an “all hands on deck” approach that would be supportive and

cooperative in dealing with the issue. Developing a master list

of all the homeless veterans provided a point-in-time look at the

problem so workable solutions could be developed. Navigators were

individuals assigned to homeless veterans that would assess need

and guide the clients to needed services. Removing barriers

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involved addressing cumbersome and exclusive systems that were

creating bottlenecks and barriers to service providers. Finding

new pathways to housing was the effort to utilize Veterans

Affairs benefits and strategies to locate and secure housing.

Collecting and sharing important and informative data was

integral in maintaining collaboration and progress in the

program. Lastly taking the next steps in addressing the issue of

homelessness for New Orleans veterans meant implementing a Rapid

Response System and other protection plans that would prevent the

clients from falling back into homelessness (“Community

Snapshot”). Through these actions, New Orleans was able to take

227 homeless veterans off the streets.

This intervention expands on the elements of our analysis

because it highlights that cooperative systems that work to

strengthen the individual parts and build off of successes are

highly advantageous to solving a social problem like this. In

Denver, where there is a similar landscape of governmental, non-

governmental, and community resources (Universities, businesses,

etc.), a plan such as this one implemented in New Orleans could

have great positive results because the framework for such

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collaboration is there. Additionally, what a system like this

does is creates better flow of information from one agency to the

other which invariably makes the problem-solving process more

efficient and successful. Lastly, the involvement of high level

politicians and officials brings the issue to the forefront for

the public and makes awareness of the issue possible. When this

happens there is buy-in on solutions because the public

reinforces the need to solve the problem.

Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau

The Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau is a program

affiliated with the National Coalition for the Homeless. It

comprises individuals who are currently or have been homeless and

who come together to educate the public on the realities of

homelessness and what can be done to solve the problem.

Presentations are given by The Faces of Homelessness Speakers’

Bureau and involve using multimedia showing the state of

homelessness in the country, a moderator that presents facts, up

to three speakers, and a question and answer opportunity for the

audience. In 2009 the Speakers’ Bureau travelled to 13 states and

gave 390 presentations to over 20,500 people (“Faces of

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Homelessness”). The mission is to use dialogue as a tool to

empower the homeless to advocate for themselves and create a

social platform that dispels the stigma of homelessness in

American culture. Additionally, the Speakers’ Bureau seeks to

build coalitions between the individuals, agencies, and community

so that there can be grassroots, cooperative efforts to address

this problem.

What makes Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau unique

among the rest is that it empowers homeless individuals to be

part of their own solutions and advocate for educating the

public. Most of the service providers in Denver and around the

county focus on a model where the agency is the spokesperson for

the client and addresses the problem by giving resources,

material and immaterial, to the clients for support. This is

helpful in ways we have seen but in some aspects it limits the

autonomy of the individual to identify and own their own unique

situation. Speakers’ Bureau gives a platform for homeless

individuals to take a central and leading role in combating the

issue. Additionally, it is not often that the public hears the

stories of why a person ended up homeless and what that

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experience feels and looks like. To educate the public with real-

life stories from the very individuals who lived them prevents a

person in audience of those stories from creating distance that

so often happens in encounters on the street. Recognizing and

promoting that the homeless are lesser individuals from their

circumstances but victims of circumstance that can easily happen

to many who may think it’s impossible is a powerful and effective

message to spread.

Further Research and Efforts

Power analysis.

Exploring a community as diverse and multi-faceted as the

homeless population in Denver is a great endeavor. Many of the

factors contribute to the reasons why a person becomes homeless,

stays homeless, and does or does not receive the needed services

that offer care. The next steps toward further exploration of

Denver’s homeless would require looking into the power dynamics

of important agents. Who has power, who does not, and what

resources or entities are involved in keeping that power dynamic

in place? Are there agents working toward creating change in that

power dynamic and do they include social work professionals?

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Additionally it is integral to understand the lived histories and

stories of these community members. In-depth analysis should

include one-on-one or group interviews with local homeless

individuals, service providers, government officials, and even

community members that have a stake in the outcome dealing with

this social problem.

References:

Capitol Hill/Congress Park. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from

http://www.denver.org/about-denver/denver-neighborhoods/capi

tol-hill-congress-park/

Community snapshot of New Orleans, Lousiana. (2015, January 6).

Retrieved March 1, 2015, from

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http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/community-

snapshot-of-new-orleans-la

Faces of Homelessness Speakers' Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved March

1, 2015, from http://www.nationalhomeless.org/faces/

Finding solutions to homelessness. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1,

2015, from

http://www.coloradocoalition.org/what_we_do/what_we_do_overv

iew.aspx

Homelessness & Poverty Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1,

2015, from http://www.tgpdenver.org/homelessnessfaq

HUD (US Department of Housing and Urban Development). 2011. “The

2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress.” HUD,

Washington, DC.

McGhee, T. (2014, July 25). Legal pot blamed for some of influx

of homeless in Denver this summer. Retrieved March 1, 2015,

from http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_26216037/legal-pot-

blamed-some-influx-homeless-this-summer

Overview of Homelessness In America. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11,

2015, from

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http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/page/hhp/overview-

homelessness-america

Our mission. (2014, September 30). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from

http://www.projecthomelessconnect.org/about/our-mission/

Programs & services. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from

http://www.tgpdenver.org/programs

Results. (2014, September 30). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from

http://www.projecthomelessconnect.org/about/results/

Rodgers, J., & Hobbs, S. (2015). Invisible population: Hidden

homeless camps are scattered throughout Pikes Peak region.

The Gazette

Volunteer needs. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from

http://volunteer.unitedwaydenver.org/volunteer/agency/needs/

Wang, S. (2014, October 9). Volunteers connect with local

homeless. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from

http://www.jhunewsletter.com/2014/10/09/volunteers-connect-

with-local-homeless-52776/

What we do. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from

http://www.coloradocoalition.org/what_we_do/what_we_do_overv

iew.aspx

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