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“I’ve definitely seen a real high increase of homeless throughout this certain area right here,” says Kyle Hollingsworth, manager of the Chalet Bed and Breakfast, east of the state capitol building.
“It definitely does affect the business. There’ll be people hanging out here, they might be doing drugs, they might be drinking, they might be loud and obnoxious. It definitely scares a lot of the people away.”
Hollingsworth and other business owners and homeowners say there are serious health and safety issues created by the trash, drug paraphernalia, and human waste left on their lawns by people camping out overnight. One homeowner, who did not want her name used, told Fox News she woke up one morning to see a homeless man peeing right in front of her window.
Solutions are not simple.
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Denver has several shelters for the homeless, but Berry says many avoid them because alcohol and drugs are not allowed, and because only a small amount of personal belongings can be taken in.
“You can’t bring your stuff inside so you have to leave it outside,” he said. “Basically, you might as well put a ‘free’ sign on it, you know?”
The city said it is committed to dealing with the growing problem. In January, Mayor Michael Hancock announced the hiring of Solivan to head a newly created housing coordination office.
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Solivan said Denver is working on several new programs to try to people get off the streets.
“Programs like our sidewalk storage (lockers) … They can store their materials on the sidewalk, get access to it 24 hours a day,” he said. “We’ve also addressed and are looking at alternative housing options like the tiny home village.”
The last idea is based on programs like the one in Seattle, which provides temporary shelters for homeless people, complete with plumbing, kitchens and locks, to protect belongings until more permanent housing can be found.
Alicia Acuna joined Fox News Channel (FNC) in 1997 and currently serves as a general assignment reporter based in the network’s Denver bureau. This Fox News piece is used by permission.
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