According to data provided by the city to CBS News Colorado, “calls for police and first responders rose 2,900% compared to the previous three months when it served as a hotel.”
Previously offering guests easy access to downtown and the airport, the city converted the building at 4040 Quebec Street into a homeless shelter last December:
In the previous three months, September, October and November, there were a total of 13 calls for police service according to city data. In November 2023, there was only one call which was for an auto theft.
But after the conversion in December, there were 36 calls for police that month including assault calls, one call on a sexual assault, and four trespassing calls.
The calls spiked further in January with 244 calls for police help with 22 disturbances, 10 assault calls, five overdose calls and one death. In December, January, and February, there were 391 calls for police help- an increase of 2,907 % from the previous three months.
“It’s turning into a norm, unfortunately,” said Mike Morales, branch manager for a nearby traffic sign business. He said since the transitional shelter opened, the industrial neighborhood feels less safe. He said every morning he sees hotel residents appearing to ingest drugs, and walking the streets like “zombies.”
Denver is not the only city that has turned hotels into homeless shelters. The historic Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, New York City, made headlines in 2023 after Mayor Eric Adams decided to use it to house migrants after the expiration of Title 42. In the beginning of 2024, Adams also signed a nearly $77 million contract to house migrants across 15 hotels in the city.
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