DENVER — A Denver shelter for girls and LGBTQ individuals experiencing homelessness will shut subsequent month, and plenty of of its residents are nervous they might find yourself unhoused as soon as once more.
People dwelling on the Rodeway Inn off Federal and 47th Avenue delivered a petition to Denver’s Division of Housing Stability, demanding housing or bridge housing choices earlier than the shelter closes.
The Rodeway Inn was opened in the summertime of 2020, leased by town to supply “non-congregate shelter” through the pandemic. Since then, it has functioned as a protected house for its residents, providing refuge not solely from COVID-19 but in addition from persecution. Lots of its 76 residents report having skilled hate and focused violence based mostly on their identities.
“I bought jumped by six grown males for strolling down the road within the gown,” mentioned resident Aster Clarkson. “Have you learnt what that’s like? And just because I used to be transgender.”
“For me, [Rodeway] was security—the primary place I may name residence,” added fellow resident Laura Lindquist. “I spent seven or eight years on the road. I misplaced all the things. They helped me get my ID, my start certificates, my social safety card. It’s the primary place that nothing’s gotten stolen.”
Shelter for LGBTQ individuals experiencing homelessness in Denver closing
Denver7 spoke to 4 residents, every with totally different paths in life which have introduced them to Rodeway and right into a neighborhood they’ve come to like. That, they mentioned, is why the information of its upcoming closure has been devastating.
Denver’s Division of Housing Stability mentioned 67 p.c of Rodeway residents had discovered different housing choices as of June 26th, and the workplace is dedicated to serving to transition the remaining people into protected housing and shelter choices earlier than Rodeway closes. It is usually working with the Denver Housing Authority, which bought the property, to repurpose it long-term with the opportunity of everlasting supportive housing. The division has $23 million to buy comparable properties this 12 months to function comparable shelters.
“We acknowledge that this transition is a tough one, and we’re working with our companions to seek out the very best outcomes for all of our company,” mentioned communications director Derek Woodbury.
But for the Rodeway residents who haven’t discovered their subsequent residence, its impending closure has them mourning the lack of a neighborhood they depend upon and nervous a couple of return to life on the streets.
“We’re simply making an attempt to allow them to know that we’re right here,” mentioned resident Angela Brown. “And, we’ve voices. We matter. Our lives matter.”
The Rodeway Inn shelter will shut August 24, 2023, forward of the top of town’s lease on the property on August 31, 2023, the Division of Housing Stability mentioned.
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