LOCAL FEATURE CREDIT: GILES CLASEN CREDIT: GILES CLASEN We have seen a lot of progress with the City of Denver in terms of making investments and creating partnerships for homelessness resolution that are very encouraging. I point to a lot of the things that we did during the COVID response, including changing shelters from checking in at night and checking out in the morning, to 24/7 access. That has been lifesaving for a lot of people because they’re not having to go from place to place for different services; they can get all their services in one spot. That is stabilizing, which puts people on a path to housing resolution. We have also seen efforts like the Social Impact Bond that allow us to expand those things that we know work: housing with supportive services, really intensive engagement with people on the street, and other efforts. We do still see plenty of people sleeping outside, too many people accessing shelters, and too many people dying on the streets. We just have to ramp all of these efforts up and bring them to scale so that we’re not losing more people next year than we lost this year. HOW HAS COVID-19 IMPACTED THE COUNT FOR THIS YEAR’S VIGIL? We are aware of 12 lives [of people experiencing homelessness], whose deaths are tied directly to COVID. There have been more people that have died due to other causes where COVID was maybe the secondary cause. It’s not what we were expecting two years ago. We were really fearful that we were going to lose a lot more of our community members who are unhoused due to COVID. They are vulnerable because of where they sleep and because of their pre-existing health conditions. Some of the measures we put in place have saved lives — especially the efforts to get people vaccinated and into protective action hotel rooms. That being said, we know that people who are experiencing homelessness are at higher risk, especially when they’re staying in shelters. Staying in congregate settings — sharing air, restroom facilities, and food eating spaces — all of that creates higher risks for this particular virus. HOW HAS THE STRAIN ON HOSPITALS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC IMPACTED THE CARE THAT INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS RECEIVE? I haven’t seen any data, but I can certainly say we speak with our hospital partners all the time. They are under enormous pressure. In the past, they may otherwise have been able to hold someone [who is experiencing homelessness] for longer before releasing them. Hospitals just don’t have that option now, and there are just so few places for people to be released to — especially if they have COVID. HOW DOES DRUG USE PLAY INTO THE NUMBER OF DEATHS WE SEE EACH YEAR? Opioids continue to play into the number of people who have died. We’re seeing a higher number of overdoses across all populations. We have to remember that a lot of people experiencing homelessness who use substances or have substance use disorders are doing so for very different reasons than their housed counterparts. Being unhoused is such a struggle. It’s so traumatic, it’s so dangerous on the streets that sometimes, substances are the only thing people kind of can really lean into to deal with the experiences. Also, because they are living on the streets, the unhoused are much more vulnerable to substance distributors and predators just because they’re already struggling so hard. People who are selling and distributing drugs will find a population of people living in an encampment, already struggling with trauma, mental health, and physical health issues, and target them. HOW DO FAMILY DYNAMICS PLAY INTO THE CAUSE OF HOMELESSNESS AND DEATH ON THE STREET? A lot of people are in the cycle of homelessness because of something that has happened in their homes. They’ve gone through a divorce, or they’ve lost a family member. Some are the victim of abuse by a family member. Often, they exit that home and are unable to find another one. One of the reasons why we feel it is important to continually hold this event is that when a relationship is broken, families lose track of each other. This is sometimes the only way to kind of close that loop for a lot of family members. Sometimes, this event is the only way a family is aware of a death. We also have family members who say, “I wish my person’s name didn’t appear in your program, I feel like that’s more information than I wanted the public to have.” I think we have a responsibility to make sure that anybody who’s passed away while experiencing homelessness is recognized and honored. MANY WHO ATTEND THE VIGIL EACH YEAR ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO WORK WITH AND SERVE THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY. WHAT DOES THIS EVENT MEAN FOR THEM? Like any other funeral, it’s a combination of feelings. There are those thoughts of, “Could we have done better, was there something else we could have done to prevent this?” There is also the sense that a person’s suffering has ended. I think there are a lot of emotions that people who come into the homeless service community feel when they attend this event. What we try to do is provide the space for people to feel all those things and to say a proper farewell. ■ To learn more about the 2021 We Will Remember memorial vigil, visit https://www.coloradocoalition.org/vigil. February 2022 DENVER VOICE 9
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