Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now on Colorado's Morning News and New City Reports. As
since twenty twenty three, Denver has reduced unsheltered homelessness by
forty five percent and over seven thousand people have transitioned
into interim housing through Denver's All in Mile High initiative.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
With the work far from over and there's still a
need for increasing permanent housing and creating a larger homelessness
response system. And joining us now on the KOAE Common
Spirit Health Hotline, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. Mayor Johnston, thanks
for joining us. What were some of the other biggest
takeaways from this All in Mile High report?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Yeah, I mean it is really great news for us,
and we are quite excited about it. As you mentioned,
ginain of forty five percent reduction. That's the largest multi
year reduction and homelessness of any city in American history.
And so I think we have said ambitious goal. When
I started two years ago, we thought we could try
to end street homelessness in four years. We are halfway there,
(00:53):
you know, at forty five percent over two years, that
means we're on path. But some really exciting things, you know,
family homelessness is down eighty three percent, you know, We've
become the largest American city ever to end street homelessness
for veterans. We every veteran in the city now has
the ability to get access to housing. So I think
it shows we are really on the right path. But
exactly what you said is, you know, the next need
(01:14):
is as people get into transitional housing, we have to
have more affordable housing for them to transition into. That's
true for teachers and nurses and firefighters and waitresses in
the city too, and so that's the next phase the
work is real. We need more middle class and middle
age home affordable housing across the city and we'll stay
focused on that.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
At the same time, mister mayor anyone who walks through
downtown can definitely say that the mass encampments, those that
were blocking the sidewalks and really stopping people from being
able to go to downtown are completely gone. However, we
still see those people on street corners, the people along
the Cherry Creek trail, and it starts to feel like
there are still just more and more people just hanging
out at bus stops and just around the city. So
(01:54):
what is being done in order to help those single
individuals who are still on the streets.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yeah, that's exactly where we are, and yeah, it is important.
They're actually not only no more large encampments in downtown,
there are no large encampments anywhere in the city, and
so we've been able to close all those move people
into housing. That's been very effective, and so that was
phase one. Phase two is a lot of the folks
that you see that our individuals on the street tend
to be folks now with significant mental health or significant
(02:21):
addiction needs, and they're not living in encampments. They're often
just wandering down the streets and maybe using until they
pass out or sometimes they are at risk of overdose.
And so we have started a program called Roads to Recovery,
which is really focused on identifying people with mental health
or addiction needs, getting them into treatment, and getting them
the wrap around supports and services they need. And it
(02:43):
is also about us doing more and more enforcement. You know,
we are going to offer you housing, offer your services,
but you're not going to be able to just stand
and photone's business and use drugs or distribute drugs. And
so folks that are struggling with addiction, we want them
to get to get well and we're going to help them,
but we also can't have them doing things and make
the city feel unsafe, and so we're going to do both.
I think it's going to be both more support and
(03:05):
more accountability to get those last stretch of folks out
of the toughest to serve, off the streets and into services.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
That's going to be a tough balance, though, Mayor Johnson,
because you've not everybody, necessarily, even if they need it,
wants to help. So how do you thread that needle
for people that you know need services but refuse.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
To take it. Yeah, and anyone who's had addiction in
their family, as I have, and I'm sure all of
us have. You know, people aren't always ready for it,
you know. Sometimes it takes people that love them to
step in and make them do it, you know. And
so for us, it's first always making it voluntary and
making the services available. But if you are breaking the law,
(03:44):
if you're using drugs in public, if you're distributing, if
you're harassing people, if you're breaking into stores, we will
enforce the law. We will hold you accountable. And then
we have a county court is putting together a treatment court,
which means people could come into that court system, and
then a judge provisers and oversees them, can require them
to see a therapist, to take drug tests and make
(04:05):
sure that they're clean. And so if folks are breaking
the law, we will bring them into the core process
and have them be supervised and have accountability. But that
accountability will be a way of getting them into treatment.
And we actually have in our county jail now two programs.
One is an inpatient mental health facility that's in the jail.
One's an inpatient addiction based program. And so if someone
is continuing to break the law but really what they
(04:26):
need is services and they end up getting sentenced, they
can be sentenced to actually a place that get some treatment.
So we're going to be focusing on treatment at all stages,
but we're going to be focusing on enforcing the law
and if they need court supervision, the court and we'll
have a system to do that, which I think is
going to be a great step forward.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Pivoting conversations here, mister Mayor, we spoke with you months
ago when it was first proposed the Vibrant Denver Bond
program and asking residents for recommendations of infrastructure projects and
things that they would like to see in their city.
So now there is a list out of some of
the recommendations that are being pitched as top city priorities.
(05:00):
I know that will be put forward to you and
then you will take it from there. But with what
we see with it so far, how is that list compiled?
What are some of the priorities on that list and
some of how will those projects be chosen?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Yeah, you know, we're really excited about that. We've had
an incredible with an unprecedented community process. We had thirteen
town halls about this. We have more than seven thousand
den rights who participated in helping build the list. We
had residents who served on committees and subcommittees. We've had
more than seventy five now open public meetings to discuss that,
and this Citizen Review Committee put forward a preliminary list
(05:36):
that we're really excited about. Now we'll review it with
our team and modify some suggestions. We'll work with the
city council to make changes to make sure we have
all the things we needed it and then we'll send
it to the voters. But what we're seeing is a
lot of you know, people are focused on making sure
we can repair and take care of the fundamentals. We
want to make sure that we have bridges that are safe,
that we have intersections that are safe, that we have
(05:58):
rec centers and libraries that are update and equipped. We
want more park space. We'll obviously see exciting proposal to
finally bring what was the partial golf course up to
be the city's largest and new park, and so that's
on the list. But you'll see rec centers and libraries
and a lot of neighborhoods. You'll see improvements support infrastructure
(06:18):
and bridges. You'll see places where you feel like you
want to have more safety improvements that are in place.
And so it's a lot of focus on the basics
the things that people want to make sure the city runs.
And I think we'll have a great package that the
voters be excited about in November.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Talking about priorities, of course, we've had reporting on this
as well that some of the city council members they're
not thrilled with the list, saying it doesn't reflect the
more urgent top priorities that they've been hearing, at least
from their constituents. Have you talked to them about what
they think should be on the list.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Oh, Yeah, we've talked to them regularly and they all
submitted lists of priorities early on in the process, and
the great majority of those items are already on the list,
and we've had all these seventy public meetings to get
public feedback, and so that's exactly how the process works.
Is the committees give us a list, we adjust it,
and now we'll work with the council to make changes.
(07:07):
And so this is the right stage in the process
for them to say, great, I like these three projects,
but I think this one's also important. There there a
key stakeholder, and that's whe the process is supposed to work.
Is the next stage is about working with counsel over
these next few weeks to make adjustments that they think
are important. And that's what we're doing right now.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
I know one of the pushbacks with council members was
the fact that a lot of these all the projects
actually did not have dollar figures attached to each project.
Is that something that will be shown in order to determine, Okay,
maybe this project isn't a high priority because the cost
is a little more than we expected it was going
to be.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Yeah, it is, and that's the stage ruin, right, now
we're going to them with a list that includes the
dollar amounts. For the reason you know, when the committee,
the public Committee was working on this, they need to
get cost estimates from one hundred to two hundred four
hundred different projects, and that means working with community partners
to have them tell us the exact parameters of what
are the improvements you hope to to the Denver Museum
(08:01):
of mator in Science and how much exactly does it cost.
So you imagine you're waiting on kind of bids and
estimates from five hundred partners that can take the fair
amount of time, and some of those we thought weren't
yet quite accurate enough. We wanted more information about them,
and so we gutted that information. Now we'll share it
with the council and then we'll submit a public list
next week that has all the costs once we're sure
we've double checked them to the right degree of certainty
(08:23):
that we are confident they're in the right numbers.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
The moment, we have left on to ask how's your relationship?
Have you talked to Mayor Mike Kaufman over of late?
Speaker 3 (08:32):
I haven't talked to the mayor in a while. We've
obviously had a lot going to Denver, but respect him always.
I'm willing to work together. I spend a lot of
time working with regional mayors around the area, and we'll
keep doing that. Spend a lot of time working with
the governor, and we're in close contact, and so I
certainly have no heart feelings more than I'm still joing
working with the mayor coffin. I will keep doing that
(08:53):
anytime that Denver needs us to.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
So with the deal that he talked about, I guess
about a week ago about that you guys could meet
what quarterly and do all that sort of stuff. Is
that like a non starter for a or do you
talk with him? Because it sounds like, at least from
his perch, it doesn't sound like you guys communicate. So
I'm trying to figure out where the divide is here
with you all.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
I know I'm always open to meeting. I've reached out
to him a couple of times. He hasn't reached out
to me about that. I heard about that through the
press with him. Have always been open to meeting with
the mayor, stay available, and so there was a time
where he was Lessingston conversations. I've always been open to talking.
He will stay open and we'll look forward to visiting
with him anytime he wants to.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
As always, see Bett, Thanks Chol
Now on Colorado's Morning News and New City Reports. As
since twenty twenty three, Denver has reduced unsheltered homelessness by
forty five percent and over seven thousand people have transitioned
into interim housing through Denver's All in Mile High initiative.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
With the work far from over and there's still a
need for increasing permanent housing and creating a larger homelessness
response system. And joining us now on the KOAE Common
Spirit Health Hotline, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. Mayor Johnston, thanks
for joining us. What were some of the other biggest
takeaways from this All in Mile High report?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Yeah, I mean it is really great news for us,
and we are quite excited about it. As you mentioned,
ginain of forty five percent reduction. That's the largest multi
year reduction and homelessness of any city in American history.
And so I think we have said ambitious goal. When
I started two years ago, we thought we could try
to end street homelessness in four years. We are halfway there,
(00:53):
you know, at forty five percent over two years, that
means we're on path. But some really exciting things, you know,
family homelessness is down eighty three percent, you know, We've
become the largest American city ever to end street homelessness
for veterans. We every veteran in the city now has
the ability to get access to housing. So I think
it shows we are really on the right path. But
exactly what you said is, you know, the next need
(01:14):
is as people get into transitional housing, we have to
have more affordable housing for them to transition into. That's
true for teachers and nurses and firefighters and waitresses in
the city too, and so that's the next phase the
work is real. We need more middle class and middle
age home affordable housing across the city and we'll stay
focused on that.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
At the same time, mister mayor anyone who walks through
downtown can definitely say that the mass encampments, those that
were blocking the sidewalks and really stopping people from being
able to go to downtown are completely gone. However, we
still see those people on street corners, the people along
the Cherry Creek trail, and it starts to feel like
there are still just more and more people just hanging
out at bus stops and just around the city. So
(01:54):
what is being done in order to help those single
individuals who are still on the streets.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yeah, that's exactly where we are, and yeah, it is important.
They're actually not only no more large encampments in downtown,
there are no large encampments anywhere in the city, and
so we've been able to close all those move people
into housing. That's been very effective, and so that was
phase one. Phase two is a lot of the folks
that you see that our individuals on the street tend
to be folks now with significant mental health or significant
(02:21):
addiction needs, and they're not living in encampments. They're often
just wandering down the streets and maybe using until they
pass out or sometimes they are at risk of overdose.
And so we have started a program called Roads to Recovery,
which is really focused on identifying people with mental health
or addiction needs, getting them into treatment, and getting them
the wrap around supports and services they need. And it
(02:43):
is also about us doing more and more enforcement. You know,
we are going to offer you housing, offer your services,
but you're not going to be able to just stand
and photone's business and use drugs or distribute drugs. And
so folks that are struggling with addiction, we want them
to get to get well and we're going to help them,
but we also can't have them doing things and make
the city feel unsafe, and so we're going to do both.
I think it's going to be both more support and
(03:05):
more accountability to get those last stretch of folks out
of the toughest to serve, off the streets and into services.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
That's going to be a tough balance, though, Mayor Johnson,
because you've not everybody, necessarily, even if they need it,
wants to help. So how do you thread that needle
for people that you know need services but refuse.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
To take it. Yeah, and anyone who's had addiction in
their family, as I have, and I'm sure all of
us have. You know, people aren't always ready for it,
you know. Sometimes it takes people that love them to
step in and make them do it, you know. And
so for us, it's first always making it voluntary and
making the services available. But if you are breaking the law,
(03:44):
if you're using drugs in public, if you're distributing, if
you're harassing people, if you're breaking into stores, we will
enforce the law. We will hold you accountable. And then
we have a county court is putting together a treatment court,
which means people could come into that court system, and
then a judge provisers and oversees them, can require them
to see a therapist, to take drug tests and make
(04:05):
sure that they're clean. And so if folks are breaking
the law, we will bring them into the core process
and have them be supervised and have accountability. But that
accountability will be a way of getting them into treatment.
And we actually have in our county jail now two programs.
One is an inpatient mental health facility that's in the jail.
One's an inpatient addiction based program. And so if someone
is continuing to break the law but really what they
(04:26):
need is services and they end up getting sentenced, they
can be sentenced to actually a place that get some treatment.
So we're going to be focusing on treatment at all stages,
but we're going to be focusing on enforcing the law
and if they need court supervision, the court and we'll
have a system to do that, which I think is
going to be a great step forward.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Pivoting conversations here, mister Mayor, we spoke with you months
ago when it was first proposed the Vibrant Denver Bond
program and asking residents for recommendations of infrastructure projects and
things that they would like to see in their city.
So now there is a list out of some of
the recommendations that are being pitched as top city priorities.
(05:00):
I know that will be put forward to you and
then you will take it from there. But with what
we see with it so far, how is that list compiled?
What are some of the priorities on that list and
some of how will those projects be chosen?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Yeah, you know, we're really excited about that. We've had
an incredible with an unprecedented community process. We had thirteen
town halls about this. We have more than seven thousand
den rights who participated in helping build the list. We
had residents who served on committees and subcommittees. We've had
more than seventy five now open public meetings to discuss that,
and this Citizen Review Committee put forward a preliminary list
(05:36):
that we're really excited about. Now we'll review it with
our team and modify some suggestions. We'll work with the
city council to make changes to make sure we have
all the things we needed it and then we'll send
it to the voters. But what we're seeing is a
lot of you know, people are focused on making sure
we can repair and take care of the fundamentals. We
want to make sure that we have bridges that are safe,
that we have intersections that are safe, that we have
(05:58):
rec centers and libraries that are update and equipped. We
want more park space. We'll obviously see exciting proposal to
finally bring what was the partial golf course up to
be the city's largest and new park, and so that's
on the list. But you'll see rec centers and libraries
and a lot of neighborhoods. You'll see improvements support infrastructure
(06:18):
and bridges. You'll see places where you feel like you
want to have more safety improvements that are in place.
And so it's a lot of focus on the basics
the things that people want to make sure the city runs.
And I think we'll have a great package that the
voters be excited about in November.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Talking about priorities, of course, we've had reporting on this
as well that some of the city council members they're
not thrilled with the list, saying it doesn't reflect the
more urgent top priorities that they've been hearing, at least
from their constituents. Have you talked to them about what
they think should be on the list.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Oh, Yeah, we've talked to them regularly and they all
submitted lists of priorities early on in the process, and
the great majority of those items are already on the list,
and we've had all these seventy public meetings to get
public feedback, and so that's exactly how the process works.
Is the committees give us a list, we adjust it,
and now we'll work with the council to make changes.
(07:07):
And so this is the right stage in the process
for them to say, great, I like these three projects,
but I think this one's also important. There there a
key stakeholder, and that's whe the process is supposed to work.
Is the next stage is about working with counsel over
these next few weeks to make adjustments that they think
are important. And that's what we're doing right now.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
I know one of the pushbacks with council members was
the fact that a lot of these all the projects
actually did not have dollar figures attached to each project.
Is that something that will be shown in order to determine, Okay,
maybe this project isn't a high priority because the cost
is a little more than we expected it was going
to be.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Yeah, it is, and that's the stage ruin, right, now
we're going to them with a list that includes the
dollar amounts. For the reason you know, when the committee,
the public Committee was working on this, they need to
get cost estimates from one hundred to two hundred four
hundred different projects, and that means working with community partners
to have them tell us the exact parameters of what
are the improvements you hope to to the Denver Museum
(08:01):
of mator in Science and how much exactly does it cost.
So you imagine you're waiting on kind of bids and
estimates from five hundred partners that can take the fair
amount of time, and some of those we thought weren't
yet quite accurate enough. We wanted more information about them,
and so we gutted that information. Now we'll share it
with the council and then we'll submit a public list
next week that has all the costs once we're sure
we've double checked them to the right degree of certainty
(08:23):
that we are confident they're in the right numbers.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
The moment, we have left on to ask how's your relationship?
Have you talked to Mayor Mike Kaufman over of late?
Speaker 3 (08:32):
I haven't talked to the mayor in a while. We've
obviously had a lot going to Denver, but respect him always.
I'm willing to work together. I spend a lot of
time working with regional mayors around the area, and we'll
keep doing that. Spend a lot of time working with
the governor, and we're in close contact, and so I
certainly have no heart feelings more than I'm still joing
working with the mayor coffin. I will keep doing that
(08:53):
anytime that Denver needs us to.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
So with the deal that he talked about, I guess
about a week ago about that you guys could meet
what quarterly and do all that sort of stuff. Is
that like a non starter for a or do you
talk with him? Because it sounds like, at least from
his perch, it doesn't sound like you guys communicate. So
I'm trying to figure out where the divide is here
with you all.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
I know I'm always open to meeting. I've reached out
to him a couple of times. He hasn't reached out
to me about that. I heard about that through the
press with him. Have always been open to meeting with
the mayor, stay available, and so there was a time
where he was Lessingston conversations. I've always been open to talking.
He will stay open and we'll look forward to visiting
with him anytime he wants to.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
As always, see Bett, Thanks Chol
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