skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, November 24, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump suffers first defeat but as always doubles down for the next fight; From Ohio to Azerbaijan: How COP29 could shape local farming; Funding boosts 'green' projects in Meadville, PA; VA apprenticeships bridge skills gaps, offer career stability.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump has a new pick for Attorney General, his incoming "border czar" warns local Democratic officials not to impede mass deportation, and the House passes legislation that could target any nonprofit group accused of supporting terrorism.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

Denver Voters to Decide on Dedicated Homeless Fund

play audio
Play

Monday, September 21, 2020   

DENVER -- Denver voters will get to decide if the city should create an ongoing, dedicated revenue stream to address the city's growing homeless crisis.

Denver's City Council approved adding a Homelessness Resolution Fund to the November ballot, which would generate up to $40 million a year by ratcheting up the city's sales tax by 0.25%.

Councilwoman Robin Kniech said the measure will help both the chronically homeless and people hit by the economic fallout of COVID-19 get off the streets and back on their feet.

"There are folks who are newly homeless because they lost their job during COVID, there are families with kids," Kniech said. "And this is our chance to help give them an opportunity to restart their lives, to become stable and to help to be a healthier community."

More than one in three Coloradans are worried they'll lose their housing because they can't pay their rent or mortgage, according to a recent Colorado Health Foundation survey, and people of color are disproportionately at risk.

The fund would be used to build housing, improve emergency shelters and provide services for people experiencing or exiting homelessness. The bump in sales tax is expected to cost the average household almost five dollars a month.

Last year, three sales-tax increases were approved, but Denver voters rejected an initiative to decriminalize homelessness and overturn the city's camping ban.

Cathy Alderman, chief communications and public policy officer for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, said she hopes voters will agree creating a dedicated funding source for housing assistance is a good investment.

"We heard through that campaign the slogan 'We can do better,'" Alderman said. "And I think Denver really does want to see us do better, and to address homelessness in a compassionate and responsible way."

The number of people experiencing homelessness in Denver was on the rise even before the pandemic hit. The most recent point-in-time count conducted in January was up by 6% from the previous year, and up 15% since 2018.

Disclosure: Colorado Coalition for the Homeless contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy & Priorities, Health Issues, Housing/Homelessness, and Poverty Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The smoking rate among adults in Maryland is 9.6%, much lower than the national average of 12.9%. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A new report on lung cancer by the American Lung Association showed Maryland has quite a bit of room to improve diagnoses and treatment but experts sa…


Social Issues

play sound

La Niña is bringing a cooler, wetter winter to Oregon and likely driving up heating bills as systems work harder. This is the third year of …

Environment

play sound

The number of pedestrians and bicyclists killed on roadways in the U.S. has nearly doubled in the past 12 years and a New Mexico researcher wants to …


Social Issues

play sound

CLARIFICATION: We updated language to clarify the timing for when the study's authors began tracking certain outcome measures for children within the …

Health and Wellness

play sound

By Kyla Russell for WISH-TV.Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service C…

Social Issues

play sound

A recent study from Florida Atlantic University highlights a concerning rise in alcohol-related deaths across the United States, with mortality rates …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021