Photo: Jon Tyson | Unsplash
The city of Denver, Colorado, US, has a new mayor and, maybe, a new relationship with its unsheltered residents. Mayor Mike Johnston has set a goal of housing about 1,000 people who are living unsheltered by the end of the year through a variety of means, including erecting tiny home communities on land owned by the city. In the meanwhile, Denver is starting to offer trash collection at some of the sidewalk encampments where people currently reside. Trash pickup is a small thing that could be a big deal for people who live outside and their housed neighbors. “Yeah, nobody wants to live in their own trash. It’s better for the community. It cuts the complaints about us down. It helps us with disease and just state of mind. When you’re coming home to filth, it doesn’t make you feel very good. It’s hard to feel like a person,” said a woman named Badger who lives in one of the encampments. During his first full day in office, Mayor Johnston met with some of the city’s unhoused residents to listen to their concerns; reducing unsheltered homelessness and increasing affordable housing in Denver are among Johnston’s highest priorities.
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