As Family Homelessness Skyrockets, Elected Officials Say No to $9M in Shelter Funding, Revealing Impossible Choices U.S. Cities Now Face
As cities across the U.S. grapple with rising rates of family homelessness, one city’s debate over providing additional funds to support more shelters highlights the struggles other communities face.
Elected officials in Denver rejected a $9 million budget amendment in November that would have taken money from the city’s police budget and used it to fund homeless shelters serving families. The amendment was offered at a time when a local advocacy group called Housekeys Action Network Denver estimates that between 250 and 300 families experience homelessness on any night in the city.
It was also introduced at a time when Denver is facing a $200 million budget shortfall. One way the city worked to close the budget gap is by furloughing and laying off hundreds of employees…