Morey Encampment Shrinks After Outreach, Some Neighbors Want More To Be Done

DENVER (CBS4) — A homeless advocacy group counted 80 tents in the encampment near Morey Middle School on Monday. After the outreach, there are about 40 tents left. This was not a sweep, like the one that occurred in Lincoln Park last week, but the city says there are plans to clear the encampment.

"They don't know that sweeps coming for sure, which is why many residents are staying put and saying they have a right to be here. The city has given them no warning about when they are supposed to be kicked out of the encampment," said Terese Howard, a spokeswoman for Denver Homeless Out Loud, an advocacy group offering services at the encampment Monday.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said last week he couldn't share more details about the outreach with the public. He said people who want to escalate the situation are being tipped off.

Mental health workers, outreach workers and homeless service providers were at the encampment for hours. The city says members of the nonprofit trying to set up a managed campsite were also there.

"Throughout the day, we've been giving people carts so they can move on their own to wherever they're going to move to," said Howard.

The city offered free transportation to existing shelters and a place to store their belongings, but few took advantage of the opportunity. According the the Department of Housing Stability, no one utilized the transportation to available shelter that was provided on Monday. One individual accepted the offer to voluntarily store some possessions.

"If you don't have a car or a way of hauling your stuff, it's pretty difficult to get down to the storage unit and back to where you're staying," explained Howard, who added that the storage facility is several blocks from the encampment with limited hours. "You need that property on a daily basis to get by."

A resident who lives near Morey Middle School paid for a van to help move his unhoused neighbors before the impending sweep, but they didn't go to shelters.

"They're hopping in that van to move to another encampment area on another block in the neighborhood," said Howard.

According to the city, its outreach team has made positive steps for individuals at this encampment in last several days:

"This includes referral of 19 individuals into protective action and activated respite hotel rooms that have been established in response to the pandemic. Five individuals have been reunited with family, and we have connected others with resources including Veterans Affairs programs, permanent supportive housing offered through Denver's Social Impact Bond program, other housing, and substance abuse treatment."

Despite the encampment shrinking, many residents who live near Morey Middle School are disappointed about the lack of progress.

"The mayor and the City Council has completely failed us. They are not doing a thing. They're letting a neighborhood turn into an autonomous lawless zone that's not sanitary for anybody," said Brendan McCormick, a neighbor who lives near the encampment.

The mayor's office told the Morey Residents Coalition that the city is going to reassess the area after the outreach is completed Monday.