As Aurora Mayor Pro Tem Dustin Zvonek sees it, there now stands a stark comparison between two different homeless service models on the Front Range. Denver’ s Housing First and Aurora’s Work First models come from cities with far different politics even though they share a border. Denver elected a majority of Democrats on the City Council. And, as a county as well as a city, has deeper pockets than Aurora. Aurora has a majority Republican representation on the City Council.
Aurora approved its Work First model Monday. Utilizing a former hotel as a homeless navigation campus, Auorora will offer three tiers of services, according to Mayor Mike Coffman. The first will be a warehouse-style shelter where case management or addiction and/or mental health treatment will not be required. The second tier will offer semi-private rooms for those engaged in substance abuse or mental health treatment as well as case management services. The third tier will include private rooms for people who have found employment but still need services. They will pay 30% of their income for rent, Coffman said.