DENVER — The City of Denver on Thursday will clear an encampment of roughly 50 immigrants near Elitch Gardens.
The area has been home to dozens of newcomers from Central and South America for weeks. Many said they ended up on the streets after their time at city shelters expired.
People staying there started packing up their belongings Wednesday before the big cleanup. Jon Ewing with Denver Human Services said everyone is being offered congregate shelter. Families can stay in shelters for 42 days while individuals will be offered 21 days.
Martha Perdomo said she was given space in a city shelter a few weeks ago during a snowstorm. She said she returns to the encampment daily to check on her 7-month-old dog, Kiara, who hasn't been allowed in the shelter.
She said her friends watch Kiara at night, but now that the encampment is closing, the dog has nowhere to go.
“People tell me to give her away. I can’t, she’s part of my family. She’s like another child to me," Perdomo said in Spanish. “It’s not her fault she’s an animal. I don’t know where to take her.”
Perdomo said she is trying to stay optimistic while she figures out what to do next.
“Faith moves mountains," she said. “This situation will change for the better for me and my kids.”
Ewing said the agency will see what it can do to help Martha.
