Recently I’ve decided to ride my bike from my house to downtown. It’s something that I enjoy doing, breathing in the crisp cool air before the day heats up and the crazy rain comes in an unrelenting deluge. It’s not unusual to see people biking, running, or walking their dogs at this time in the morning on the bike path. It’s how we roll and it’s to be expected.
I take the bike path that runs along the river, a place of ivy, birds, bicyclists in gear, runners, and moms pushing their babies in strollers as they sweat off their unwanted baby weight.
It’s also a place where the homeless have begun to camp.
Denver is interesting in that the residents seem to exist in a taut balancing act between the burgeoning homeless problem and those of us who want to live the life that you can live in a city like Denver.
It’s as if we’re in a stand off
The thing is there are a lot of services offered to the homeless in the city of Denver. The problem is, as other cities across the United States have encountered problems-Denver (and other Western Cities) have prospered.
That prosperity is drawing people to Colorado in droves.
People are moving here in droves thinking that it’s cheap to live here-it’s not. That housing is easy to find and affordable-it’s not. We’ve just hit a record high for housing costs in Denver.
As I ride down the path I see different types of homeless people: the people who are clearly mentally ill and need help, the people who’ve lived on the streets for so long they can’t go back, the teenagers hanging in groups, and the people who are trying so hard to make it-with clean clothes, very few belongings and a determined glint in their eyes.
The diversity in the homeless population is why we’re stuck. How do we begin to help so many people from so many different walks of life? How do we treat people with dignity, in a situation that takes away your dignity in so many ways?
I’ve become increasingly uneasy riding along the bike path as it has become too unpredictable. There are people bathing in the creek, people are jumping in front of the cyclists, and people are peeing and defecating in broad daylight as we ride down the path.
It’s not ok-for so many reasons
The thing is life isn’t always pretty. The reality of homelessness in America is that it’s an ugly situation that makes people invisible. It should be obvious from this post that even though I advocate for the homeless, that the situation that has been unfolding in my city for so long has me feeling conflicted.
Am I wrong? Am I not being sympathetic? Or, have I bought into the the idea of my shiny, pretty city where nothing bad happens? Where everyone is fit, going to happy hour, or even going for a hike during lunch?
Or, is the problem that once we get to a certain place in our lives we just don’t want to ugliness to touch our lives because we fear being tainted by it?
What is it like in your city? Do you have a growing homeless problem? How is playing out in your city? How do you think we can deal with this issue in a compassionate and fair way?
**Ironically Channel 7 aired a report concerning this issue last week. Please watch the video to see what is happening***
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Sadly my city (Philadelphia) has a homeless problem that seems to be getting worse. You can see people begging for food and money right down the street from the city’s Convention Center and major historical attractions. I try give in small ways like offering food when I happen to have it on me and buying the newspaper that an organization publishes with content written by the homeless but I’m not sure how to help my city with this issue in a larger way. Definitely something to think about.
It’s frustrating because a lot of the new homeless that we’re seeing aren’t from here and we can tell. We’re wondering if the uptick is because of the legalized marijuana-yep, it’s that much of a change. It’s also frustrating because we have a lot of services to help local people and those services are being stretched thin. I have some thoughts about how to combat the problem but that would require a Federal/state response and from what I’ve seen in the past 10+ years that just isn’t going to happen.
I get really disturbed. I don’t go downtown much and I’m just as glad. I thought I started seeing some homeless in the suburbs and I thought, wow, this is something. I know I shouldn’t turn a blind eye to it, but I have enough mental illness in my own family to deal with and it is overwhelming sometimes, so I just need to preserve my own mental health as much as possible.
It’s hard because downtown Denver is absolutely FANTASTIC. Everything is centered around the downtown area: sports/theater/transit/festivals. I basically wouldn’t be able to do anything if I avoided it. Also, the homeless are noticeable concentrated in a couple of areas. Either way, it’s a frustrating, sad, and sometimes infuriating situation to observe unfolding. I have a couple of theories on what’s going on…but, that’s for another day. You’re right, though, it’s also very important to not place yourself in a situation that would compromise your own well-being.
This is a real tough one. On one hand you’d like to see these individuals do something to help themselves. On the other hand, you know they’ve been dealt a tough blow (or are mentally sick) and can’t pull themselves together. I don’t have a solution but compassion and care should be the order of the day, as much as can be reasonable afforded.
The mentally ill, elderly, and teens get a pass from me. However, it’s amazing when I’ve talked to people how many have said that they haven’t received any support. I don’t mean financial, I mean having someone constantly in your corner cheering you on when the metaphorical “stuff” hits the fan. As a single person I can that having that kind of support is HUGE. I’m lucky to have a great family and network of super supportive friends. If I didn’t have this support network I don’t know if I would have had the level of success that I do now.
I don’t have solution either. We have a lot of homeless people in downtown Indianapolis and I don’t see it getting better any time soon. I feel thankful that we have so many shelters and organizations that work to feed/clothe them.
We have a lot of services here, but we have hit capacity in our ability to deal with it. We have so many people coming in that we can’t keep pace with the need. The one thing that “helps” is that we have long winters. When the weather changes people head west to California. Sorry Cali!
It depends which part of LA you are in. You see very few in my area, but a ton in Santa Monica. No idea why that is exactly. I don’t have a solution. I’ve always been torn about whether giving money directly to someone on the street really helps them, or if I should donate to organizations. I often feel pretty guilty if I say no, but I also can’t be handing out money to every homeless person I see. So I don’t know…
What concerns me is that all of the people who have commented so far are thoughtful, super intelligent people and NONE of us have an answer. I very rarely give money to people directly. When I do, it’s after having a deep intuitive feeling that I should. The last time I gave $20 to a young guy-he cried 🙁 Denver is weird in that the homeless are concentrated in a couple of areas: Ballpark near the homeless shelter, Cherry Creek Bike Path, 16th Street Mall, and Speer/Broadway. Then you will see people throughout the city specifically at corners. I just feel frustrated because I want to help but am not sure what is the best way.
Interesting, I didn’t know that homelessness “was a thing” in Denver. I currently live in a small town and one of the perks (for me) is the lack of homeless population. There are a few people who choose to be homeless, and live in tents down by the golf course, but they have been offered accommodation before, and most of them do work. But, they make up our entire homeless population.
I would say that at this point every major U.S. City has a chronic homeless problem. Denver has finally grown into a nice sized city so I think that’s part of what’s going on. The population has grown in general. This year was exceptionally bad and I’m convinced that it has to do with: people moving here without jobs/the legalized pot/and the strong economy.
We don’t have that many homeless people in Auckland but I’ve definitely noticed the number increasing in the past few years. I suppose it’s almost inevitable in today’s society. Some will always be left behind.
Sadly, I think you’re right. I think we’re in a huge shift globally between the “haves/have nots.” It’s almost as if all of the dystopian books are coming true.
Denver has a major Homeless problem and it is out of control. The state is not handling it well and people are getting harassed just going about their normal routine. I have an answer, ship them out of here and into Germany. Darn shame when women cannot even walk doen the street in a supposed ok neighborhood without getting insulted and made to feel uncomfortable..I am not against homeless people, I am against them having no damn manner nor respect for anyone but themselves..those people should be sent to the front lines of some war.
I would say that this is a national problem and that part of what we are experiencing is our perceived popularity nationally and the stupid pot law. I also think that there are a number of people who moved here without realizing how competitive the market is and that housing is expensive. I have compassion for people who are having a hard time and I’m hoping that we start having a more aggressive conversation about how to better manage this problem.