OLLY SUE NORRIS COUNTS BLANKETS the way other people count hours of sleep. As winter settles in, staying alive loitering. According to Norris, city ordinances, like laws against outside often comes down to layers and luck. “More blankets,” Norris said when asked how she prepares for cold nights. Norris has lived unsheltered for more than a decade. Her story cuts through one of the most common myths about homelessness: that people living on the streets choose to be there. As cities debate enforcement, shelter capacity, and public safety, Norris’ experience reflects what data shows: homelessness is rarely a choice, and survival often comes at the cost of stability, safety, and dignity. Data from Metro Denver Homeless Initiative’s recent “State of Homelessness” report also challenges common misconceptions. More than 94% of people experiencing homelessness in the Denver metro area reported they did not choose to be homeless. People like Norris make up that overwhelming majority. Norris, who thinks she is 73 but acknowledged she could be a little older or younger because time is hard to track when living on a sidewalk, said her life outside has been shaped less by personal choice than by a combination of family breakdown, city ordinances, and constant displacement. Holly Norris came to Denver by bus. She didn’t know anyone in the Mile High City. She didn’t have any leads on housing or resources. Norris said she was sent to Denver by the Grand Junction police, who offered her a ride to Denver or an arrest for 10 JANUARY 2026 “ THEY'RE TREATED POORLY. THEY'RE NOT TREATED THE SAME. THERE'S A VERY DIFFERENT STANDARD OF CARE FOR THE HOMELESS POPULATION.” trespassing, littering, and loitering, put every cop, security officer, or other authority figure against people like her. Police enforcement makes it nearly impossible to stay safe or hold onto possessions. When she arrived in Denver, Norris told herself she was done moving. She decided she would set up camp and stay put until someone offered her housing. She stayed in the alley between Santa Fe Drive and Kalamath Street near 10th Avenue for more than two weeks. The Denver VOICE contacted the city’s Department of Housing Stability, requesting a welfare check and potential housing assistance. Outreach teams with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless were also contacted. Neighbors called 911, and police checked on Norris; the city’s Support Team Assisted Response also was dispatched to check on her. “To come to a site like this and have a woman who’s 73 and not be able to get her into housing, it breaks my heart, and it just shows that the system is so broken,” said Makenna Stark, an outreach worker with STAR. Stark has lived through homelessness herself. She said the limitations of the broader system are evident in daily outreach work. She sees a safety net that fails to meet the needs of the unhoused community. “I see it with police, I see it with EMS, how people get taken to the hospital, and then they’re just shot back out,” Stark said. “They’re treated poorly. They’re not treated the same. There’s a very different standard of care for the homeless population.” The network of homeless service providers can be difficult for individuals to access when they lack resources
11 Publizr Home