Denver to spend $4 million to convert gym to migrant housing

DENVER (TND) — Denver city leaders approved a $4 million purchase agreement Monday to acquire a former gymnasium building which it is currently using to shelter migrants.

Denver Community Church previously owned the building and a nearby vacant lot, both of which were acquired by the council through the purchase. The city had been temporarily leasing the property since 2023 and using it as a group shelter for migrant families.

The building, according to city leaders, is a “key piece of Denver’s efforts to keep families safely off the streets.” It can accommodate 120 people for “daytime or overnight shelter.”

Once the building is no longer needed as part of its newcomer program, the city council will accept community input on how to further utilize the property.

The city has dolled out millions of dollars so far this year to help resolve its migrant crisis. Denver has aided more than 40,000 migrants in the past 16 months, the mayor wrote in an April press release. The number of individuals it has taken in is the most per capita of any city in the nation.

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Denver estimates it has spent $69 million to assist migrants since December 2022, with $25 million going toward housing. The city’s 2024 newcomer budget allocates $89.9 million for these expenses, with $51.7 million earmarked for providing housing and food for new asylum-seekers.

In April, Mayor Mike Johnston touted his decision to cut back on $45.9 million worth of expenses to funnel more money toward migrant services.

“The budget includes new sources of funding from internal cost-saving measures such as reduced hiring for difficult-to-hire positions, fewer supplies purchases, and the deferral of some technology and capital projects,” Johnston said.

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