LAKEWOOD, Colo. — The issue of homelessness is complicated. The needs of the homeless population frequently intersect the needs and desires of those providing the spaces in which they live, and the resulting conflict is now getting the attention of specialized units in Lakewood and Arvada.
Lakewood's Community Action Team or CAT team is one of those units.
"Most days when I get to work, there are three or four calls pending for our team to go and check on active camps," said Agent Dave Smidt with the Lakewood Police Department (LPD).
Smidt said the goal is to find those experiencing homelessness and then, in a very methodical process, work to get them off the street.
On the day with spoke with him, he was looking for a man who frequents Lakewood's Mountair Park. The little park is well-kept with basketball courts, a playground, and picnic areas that attract lots of kids and families.
Huddled against a fence in the middle of the park is "Danny" surrounded by his possessions. He's a familiar visitor who causes great concern for residents who have called police for help.
Smidt approaches the camp and discovers Danny is camping with a woman identified as "April" who is also known to Smidt and his team.
"Danny! Hey guys, you all right?"
Smidt reminded them the weather is about to change and urged them to seek shelter.
"You know that this afternoon it’s going to get cold again," he tells them.
Smidt said they’ve encountered Danny frequently but said so far he’s not willing to get any help.
"He just doesn't seem to want to take that next step to improve himself," Smidt said.
Danny is chronically homeless, so police at this point are left to correct what behavior they can. Smidt and his fellow officers are relentless and have contact with Danny every few days. The CAT team works by visiting with those experiencing homelessness and letting them know there is help if they’re willing to accept it.
But the scope of the problem seems daunting. Danny is just one of many people who are experiencing homelessness within the city of Lakewood.
"Lakewood is I think 45-square miles and a quarter of that is Parks and Open Space," he said. "There are a lot of places for someone to disappear."
Smidt takes us down an urban trail, littered with debris, to several hidden campsites.
"There's some of their stuff," Smidt said. "So this is what is left behind."
There are shopping carts, many pieces of rotting furniture, bags of open and spoiled food, and abandoned tents and tarps.
"They took their valuables and this is what they leave us to clean up," said Smidt.
It's a process that is costing cities tens of thousands of dollars.
The Arvada CORE unit deals with the same issues. Arvada Police Officer Sara Horan and her partner Mike Hall are also trying to solve the many issues that keep people on the street.
A man named Terrance is one of their success stories. They've been helping him for months by clearing court cases, settling warrants, and resolving problems with debt. They also help Terrance and others deal with medical issues, including drug use.
"Guess where Terrance is going today?" asked Officer Horan. "He's going to a treatment facility. He's doing it for himself. He's the one who initiated it."
Terrance gets a high-five from other officers. He's a win in the battle to clear the streets and get help to those who need it the most.
Like their counterparts in Lakewood, they know where most of those who don't want to be found can be found. They took us to another series of hidden encampments.
“This is probably what we typically see," said Horan. "We have a lot of hypodermic needles. That's obviously really concerning because none of them have caps on them so they're all open."
The sites are littered with hundreds of discarded items, some believed to have been stolen, and mixed with the drug paraphernalia and human waste.
"Obviously we have a lot of trash," said Horan. “We have metal, we have weapons. All those have to be removed. What we do, literally, we remove everything. We want this area to look exactly the way it did if not better."
In another camp, under the interstate, fires set by the inhabitants to stay warm have scorched the under-side of the roadway.
"They have mattresses, they have their own fireplace, just tons of trash. Obviously a lot of [drug] paraphernalia that we'll find under here, some open needles,” said Horan. “So we always have to be careful when we're down here to make sure we don't get poked by any needles."
The key for the CORE unit and the Lakewood CAT team, is not to let anyone get comfortable. They apply near constant pressure, hoping to move the chronically homeless off the street.
They win the battle one person at a time, once they succeed in convincing them that there is life on the other side. It's a solution that seems to be working.
This story is part of regular Public Affairs effort by the city of Arvada and Lakewood-8, of which 9NEWS reporter Mark Koebrich is part of. The series is entitled "Let's Talk with Mark Koebrich."
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