DENVER — When the city showed up to clear a homeless camp Tuesday morning, they found a lot of belongings but few of the people who owned them. Nearly everyone had already moved out on Monday.
For the first time, Denver offered hotel rooms to people living on the streets. Instead of sweeping the camp and moving the tents to a different street corner, people were offered the opportunity to move inside to a hotel.
"You can’t put into words something that’s so dramatically different," said Kyra Dolores, a 55-year-old who was living at the encampment on 7th and Grant for several weeks. "It was like, 'I don’t think this is real, how can this be real?' Pinch me kind of thing."
Dolores slept in a bed for the first time in months Monday night. When the city came through last week and told her they planned to sweep the camp, she took them up on their offer for shelter.
"Today I’m sleeping in a hotel room with my dog. On a bed. With a toilet. Which is amazing. And water running. It’s just different," said Dolores. "You forget the little things that matter when you’re just trying to get through the day."
In here, things are different. No drugs. No alcohol. No visitors, not even family. Mayor Mike Johnston is betting people are willing to follow those rules in exchange for shelter and services. Every person swept from a homeless camp will be offered a place like this to live instead of their tent.
"To have this happen, it’s miraculous really," said Dolores.
There are homeless advocacy groups who say this is a good first step but there isn’t enough room for everyone who wanted housing to get into the hotel. Seventy people from the camp outside the governor’s mansion were taken here. One advocacy group says at least 20 people from the camp weren’t allowed to come into the hotel because it was full.
A day ago, Dolores woke up in a tent on a street corner with her pit-bull next to her for protection. Today, she woke up with a sense of hope.
"I really feel safe here," said Dolores. "That’s a miracle. That’s amazing."
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