Churches are part of Denvers 10-year plan to end homelessness

A couple quotes...

Hickenlooper (Denver Mayor) told the crowd that he wants area churches to play a major role in the city's 10-year program to end homelessness. Already 122 congregations have signed on, each pledging to raise $1,200 to help pay first month's rent and deposit on an apartment and establishing a "mentor team" of two to six people who agree to work with the family or senior to help them leave homelessness behind.

'Denver's Road Home' showing progress
In the past year, Denver's 10-year plan to end homelessness, known as "Denver's Road Home," has met several benchmarks:
423 new units of housing
701 homeless people placed in jobs
156 families receiving assistance for eviction
122 congregations sponsoring homeless families
677 homeless people receiving treatment for substance abuse or mental illness

Meters to support homeless, not habits

The city of Denver plans to install recycled parking meters near the 16th Street Mall next month in an effort to allow passers-by to donate spare change to support programs for the homeless, rather than just give it directly to panhandlers who sometimes use it to support habits. While city officials haven't decided how to decorate those meters, the Rocky asked readers to send us ideas about what they would do.

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