Reader: Give the People Living in Tents Slightly Sturdier Tents? Perfect

A year ago, architecture students at the University of Colorado Denver built a structure that they thought could replace the ice-fishing tents at safe-camping sites for people experiencing homelessness in the Mile High City. But first they installed the wood-and-canvas structure on the campus to experience the Colorado elements and also weather responses from students and faculty members. “To have a full-size structure to make comments on was kind of a fun engagement method for people to get involved with it,” says Richard McSwain, the former president of CU Denver’s chapter of Freedom by Design, a nonprofit community-service program for architecture students.

After receiving that feedback, McSwain, who graduated from the master’s architecture program last May, and other members of Freedom by Design made some tweaks to the prototype, which had held up well in the outdoors. And now the structure is getting its second major test: a stint at the safe-camping site at the Arie P. Taylor Municipal Center, 4635 Peoria Street.

And a third test, in the court of public opinion, as readers weigh in on the Westword Facebook post about the project. Says Chris:  

Give the people living in tents a slightly sturdier tent? Perfect.

Adds Kenda:

Here’s a thought… actually have shelters equipped with small but private areas.
A sidewalk shelter isn’t the solution.

Wonders Amanda:

What happened to the tiny homes for homeless? A tiny home and am area to put them helps more than this crap.

Adds Jon:

Or you could spend the money to have security and social workers in the abandoned office buildings downtown. These are already empty due to massive WFH allowances since COVID.

Suggests Jaclyn: 

Here’s a thought— build affordable housing so people can have stability. Housing security is the first step to keeping a job.

Notes Erin: 

So much homelessness in the U.S. could be ended by universal health
care. Can we please stop focusing on the bandaids and actually address the wounds?

Responds John: 

The vast majority of homelessness is due to drug addiction and most don’t want help, they just want to keep doings their drugs. Not health care.

Comments Jonathan: 

People won’t support funding. But they will support funding jailing homeless for being homeless.  They don’t understand why this fails to work. Because all they care about is not having to see them and be reminded of what’s very possible with just a few months of zero income. Or less. So they rationalize it and assume they did something to deserve it.

And when we come back to trying to solve it…..boom. Hypocrisy out the ass.
No matter what we suggest or theorize. They get mad when we get private and federal grant money to try and do something. It’s the most pathetic mental gymnastics I’ve ever seen.

And boom, a story about a University of Colorado Denver student program explodes into a discussion of one of the trickiest issues not just in this city, but across the country. What approach do you think Denver should take to homelessness? Post a comment or share your thoughts at [email protected]