Denver, Colorado is struggling with serving the needs of our vulnerable populations. In many ways we do an excellent job; see Denver initiative to move chronically homeless people into housing shows “promising” early results. In other ways we could do better; Denver has a "camping ban"
which is designed to keep the city clean and safe and welcoming to residents
and visitors. However, Denver also has a population who experience homelessness
and have no permanent residence. For a variety of reasons they do
not have safe places to sleep off of the streets. Therefore, they set up tents
or huddle in blankets in nooks and vacant lots. The root causes could be
economic, mental health, physical health, domestic violence victimization,
service members suffering from PTSD, or other factors. Why do we need to take
away the means of survival from those who have the least in this life?
People experiencing these conditions
need our support and help. Our national self-image is that of a brave,
enlightened people who champion human rights. In order to live up to that we
need to look at the root causes of difficult subjects such as homelessness.
If care for vulnerable populations matters to us
then let us each get involved in the solution. We can support the non-profit
organizations that battle homelessness and the factors that contribute to it. We can advocate for fairer laws. If the
United States of America is truly great then we need to show it not only by
offering opportunities to the strong, but also to the weak.
What you can do
Support organizations that help others
The Denver Rescue Mission
Julia Greeley Home - A family-style home for women motivated to move beyond homelessness
The Little Flower Maternity Home - A hand-up to homeless mothers in need
The Salvation Army
Advocate for fairer laws
Colorado Criminal Justicice Reform Coalition
Colorado-Cure
Related links
Denver Homeless Out Loud Denver Ranger Takes Survival Gear on Freezing Day
Denver Post Three found guilty of violating Denver's unauthorized camping ordinance
Denver Post Denver initiative to move chronically homeless people into housing shows “promising” early results
