AURORA, Colo. — Work is underway to open the City of Aurora's Regional Navigation Campus in November.
Cots were unloaded into the parking lot of the former Crowne Plaza Hotel off Interstate 70 and Chambers Road on Thursday. Aurora City Council approved the purchase in January 2024, and the building will serve as a new center to address homelessness.
According to the City of Aurora, the $42 million project will use a tiered approach, focused on treatment and job training.
- Tier 1: Low-barrier emergency. This option is available nightly for anyone seeking shelter, and there are no requirements other than following general rules.
- Tier 2: Engaged short-term shelter. This option offers slightly more privacy and allows longer stays for participants engaged with case management and working towards housing and/or employment goals.
- Tier 3: Workforce transitional housing. This option is for participants who have completed Step Two and are actively working through the program. They have jobs and are closer to achieving housing and self-sufficiency.
Alongside Common Sense Institute, a research think-tank, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman on Thursday said the Regional Navigation Campus will embody the city's "work-first" philosophy to tackling homelessness.
"We're really going down a very different path," said Coffman.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to solving homelessness: the work-first approach and the housing-first approach. Under the work-first approach, advocates prioritize employment as a way to get people off the street, focusing on treatment and job training. The housing-first approach, on the other hand, prioritizes permanent housing in order to help people.
Coffman used the new report released by Common Sense Institute to reinforce why the work-first model is a better approach compared to Denver's housing-first approach.
- You can read the report from Common Sense Institute in its entirety below:
"I think the evidence is that the housing-first model just is not working, and so it's time to try something different," said Coffman.
Kelly Caufield, executive director of Common Sense Institute, pointed to the costs associated with Denver's All In Mile High initiative.
All In Mile High, previously known as House1000, permanently closed encampments and brought more than 1,000 people indoors by the end of 2023. Then, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston rolled out a new citywide goal to move 2,000 people indoors from unsheltered homelessness by Dec. 31, 2024, which is now known as All In Mile High.
"The All In Mile High initiative in Colorado was spending about $69,000 per homeless individual," said Caufield.
However, Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for the Denver mayor's office, said that number is not accurate.
"The best projection that we have was closer to around $28,000 per person," said Ewing.
Ewing explained that the higher cost cited by Common Sense Institute includes one-time expenditures for properties such as hotels and doesn't reflect ongoing day-to-day costs.
Advocates for the housing-first approach, like Amy Beck from Together Denver, argue that stable housing is crucial for individuals facing homelessness.
"If we as a community want to solve homelessness, we have to offer housing to everyone, regardless of their capacity," said Beck.
According to Caufield, the number of individuals experiencing homelessness in Denver rose by 10% in 2024. However, Ewing countered this claim, saying the figure is for the Denver metro area, which includes Aurora and other municipalities.
Ewing said in Denver alone, unsheltered homelessness fell by 11% in 2024, indicating success for the city's housing-first initiative.
As Aurora prepares to unveil its Navigation Campus, Coffman reiterated that it will serve not just Aurora but the wider region.
While both cities are using different strategies to address homelessness, leaders from both Aurora and Denver acknowledged it will take collaboration to tackle the ongoing crisis.
“Keep in mind, this is going to be a regional asset, so it's more than just the city of Aurora,” Coffman said.
"We are all pulling for Aurora. We hope Aurora succeeds. Aurora's success is Denver's success," said Ewing.
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