DENVER (KDVR) — The City and County of Denver said they are overwhelmed by the steady flow of migrants entering the city and there are new measures being taken at the state and city level to help.
Mayor Michael Hancock sent a letter to the Archdiocese of Denver for help. The letter called the situation an “urgent humanitarian need in our community,” noting the over $1 million that’s already been spent without any outside assistance.
Hancock noted the lack of assistance from the federal government or other local governments as the reason for reaching out.
“The lack of an adequate government response is what leads me to renew a call I made to communities of faith and other non-governmental charities to help address dire human needs and a steady migration of people to our city,” Hancock said in the letter.
Federal aid has already been requested by the city, it just hasn’t come yet. Mikayla Ortega, communication manager for Denver’s Office of Emergency Management, said there’s a reason the funding might be slow-moving.
“The City and County of Denver is not a border town, so we do not receive border funding that states along the border get, so what we’re able to do here in the City and County of Denver is very limited,” Ortega said.
FOX31 asked Aurora about whether they would be ready and willing to help with the influx happening right next door. They said in a statement:
“Aurora wholeheartedly embraces its culturally rich and diverse community by maximizing its existing resources as efficiently as possible. However, the resources are not limitless. Additionally, the city is not structured like the counties that are funded to provide health and human services. Denver is, of course, a city and a county. We continue to seek information from our counties and the state on any resources and services they currently have, or intend to add, to provide the humanitarian assistance needed to assist the migrants who arrived in Denver over the last couple weeks. We also continue to work closely with our community partners.”
Ryan S. Luby, Aurora deupty director communications and marketing
Meanwhile, Denver’s request for help has led to it asking for the use of the facilities at Little Sisters of the poor on 29th Street. They claim in the letter it is a vacant building that could accommodate 100 people during these winter months.
This isn’t the only effort being made. The Problem Solvers obtained a memo from Gov. Jared Polis to all state employees urging them to continue to take time to volunteer at shelters across the city. He’s offering an additional 16 hours of administrative leave for a total of 32 hours between Dec. 20 and Jan. 20
“The border crisis that landed on our doorstep is not because Denver is a welcoming city. It is because the federal government has not fixed an immigration problem that has been in existence for decades.” Ortega said.
Keep in mind, that memo also said employees will have to get approval from their supervisors before volunteering. The city tells us they will continue to provide the critical care these migrants need, but as far as the long term they just can’t plan that out at this time.
