It was during a press conference Monday morning that Denver Mayor Mike Johnston vowed to prioritize getting veterans experiencing homelessness off the streets for good.
"If you have served your country, there is no way that Denver is going to allow you to be stuck sleeping on the streets," said Mayor Mike Johnston. "We’re delighted that before the end of this year, we will be able to put an end to unsheltered veteran homelessness here in Denver."
Johnston, along with local and federal VA leaders announced a partnership to house existing veterans in the city of Denver. They set a goal of "functional zero," whereby there will be "more exits for veterans who are unsheltered into housing each month than there are folks that are currently experiencing homelessness or entering it."
"I think it’s just paramount that we get our veterans off the streets," said Barrett Miller, vice president of Knock Knock Angels Colorado.
The nonprofit organization has served as a piece of the puzzle in helping veterans experiencing homelessness start over.
The Sedalia-based nonprofit has helped provide home makeovers to roughly 40 veterans entering a new home, in addition to providing random acts of kindness for other residents in the form of donated items or other needs. Knock Knock Angels Colorado "Someone hands you keys to an apartment and you walk in and you’re feeling so great, and then it hits you that you don’t have a single thing to put in that apartment," said Miller. "You don’t even have a hanger to hang your shirts on or and it becomes very depressing very quickly."
Miller says they work with agencies that get veterans into housing to help restore their dignity and self-confidence once they’ve walked through their new home.
"Provide them with a home that reflects who they are and take all of that stress off so that they can focus on their job, their education, their health, whatever it might be, and have a comfortable place to do that," she said.
As Denver looks to get more veterans housed, Miller hopes the city’s initiative will also prioritize providing the resources they need after being […]
Denver’s new plan for homeless veterans met with mixed reactions
