Denver mayor picks south Santa Fe Drive site for first micro-community
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced Monday that Denver’s first micro-community to house homeless people will be built along South Santa Fe Drive.
Johnston, who has vowed to house 1,000 homeless people by year's end, said city officials will break ground soon at 2301 S. Santa Fe Drive.
But nearby residents have expressed concern about the site being toxic ground. It was once a Denver Radium Superfund Site.
The micro-community is planned to house 120 people, open before year’s end and operate 24/7, the mayor’s office said in a news release.
Denver plans to break ground on the site, currently an empty lot, in the coming week.
“This development is a significant step forward in the ongoing effort to combat homelessness and improve the lives of those in need with our city,” the mayor’s office said, noting the site “has been carefully chosen to accommodate the specific needs of its future residents.”
Micro-communities are a strategy by Johnston to put homeless people in a community of air conditioned and heated shelters, with wraparound services such as mental health treatment and employment help, bathrooms, and community spaces. Sites are monitored by staff 24/7.