On Monday, Feb. 4, the City of Denver will begin to move families with children from shelters after a pause that was enacted in November.
Denver announced the change two weeks ago as it also said it would extend the previous time limit families can remain in shelters from 37 to 42 days.
Meantime, city officials have been watching border crossings slow in El Paso, Texas, 9 hours south by bus, and the city where most of Denver’s newcomers have come from.
“Arrivals have slowed over the last couple of weeks as fewer people are processed in border towns like El Paso,” said Jon Ewing, spokesperson for Denver Human Services. “We do not expect this slowdown to last but are taking advantage of the timing as we focus on moving our 4,000 guests out of the shelter and onto better solutions. We will begin discharging families again on Monday and continue to do so in a rolling fashion through late March.”