Saturday, September 23, 2023

This is Colorado Community Media's third and final part in an ongoing series, “No Place to Call Home,” which explores the reasons behind the rise in homelessness in Englewood and the response from various segments of the community, from businesses and city government to nonprofits, the faith community and schools.

The series also reports on the challenges faced by homeless people trying to regain stability in their lives. To read the first two installments, published in 2018, scroll down.

To reach reporter Ellis Arnold, email earnold@coloradocommunitymedia.com, or call him at 303-566-4109.

Part Three

Englewood coalition on homeless finds strength, success in numbers

Robert Balukas was one of many people in Englewood living out of sight, without shelter, struggling to survive in a city where he once carried the key to his own residence. But when he met a man at …

More of Part Three

South Denver metro cities search for role on homeless

Winding through the south metro area is the South Platte River, an informal thoroughfare for people experiencing homeless, where campers are common along Englewood’s west edge. With a homeless …

‘If I could do it, anyone could do it’

Robert Balukas was the man you’d see lying on a piece of cardboard on a sidewalk in downtown Denver and panhandling near the Englewood-Littleton border. “I was stuck,” said Balukas, 55, who …

‘Graduating’ from homelessness with Change the Trend

A 52-year-old man held out a hand while a young medical student applied pressure — the man lost a plastic cast a week ago, he explained, and he was supposed to see an orthopedic specialist. But …

Englewood, Sheridan, Denver school districts help shoulder homelessness

Every week in Englewood, Sheridan and Denver, hundreds of students sit in class, turn in their work, walk out of their schools in the afternoon and return to a life of sleeping in shelters, cars or …

‘A lot of us just had a hard time’

What some people wish we all knew about homelessness: “Not all the people who are homeless are vandals and criminals. A lot of us just had a hard time, and we went through some stuff, and we lost …

Part Two

For homeless people, the streets, and the laws, are often gray areas

To Englewood police Sgt. Tracy Jones, the homeless situation on the city’s central streets is a row of stops — the light-rail station, the library, the Englewood Trolley bus route, the Walmart, …

More of Part Two

‘Where are we gonna go? There’s nowhere to go’

Amanda McGuire walked up to collect her belongings from a shed in Englewood one day in April. She and her partner had been living in the shed on South Washington Street with, she said, permission …

What property is public or private?

Unlike Denver, where a 2012 law bans camping on private and public property, Englewood does not have a law specifically barring camping — staying in an outdoor place with a tent, sleeping bag or …

Ruling with ‘human element’ in mind

Across the hall from his old seat as mayor on Englewood City Council, Joe Jefferson has donned the judge’s robes and brought with him a passion for helping defendants succeed. “Our primary goal …

Police integrate mental health component into work with homeless

On a late spring day in June, Englewood police Sgt. Reid McGrath described a call about a woman who said she was hearing voices — a scenario he said is not unusual for police interactions with …

Without family, ‘I had no options’

In a patch of grass just out of the hot sun, Randall Thompson lay near the sidewalk along South Cherokee Street near the CityCenter Englewood shopping area, a scooter full of his belongings beside …

Englewood library, government offices up security

Like other public spaces around the city, Englewood’s library has become a place where homeless individuals are a common part of the scene. Englewood City Council in June approved expanded private …

Swedish Medical Center sees ‘slight increase’ in number of homeless patients

At the east end of Englewood’s central corridor, Swedish Medical Center treats as many as a half-dozen homeless individuals per day who come through the emergency room. “Some seasonality …

Part One

Homelessness in Englewood: No place to call home

During a cleanup along the South Platte River in January, Englewood police counted 21 campsites with about 30 people living on its east banks. Some 25 truckloads of trash, human waste, syringes and …

Long road to change ends in hope

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