Boulder City Council Archives - KGNU Community Radio: Recent Episodes
Boulder City Council Archives - KGNU Community Radio
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After more than a year of searching, the Boulder City Council voted 9-0 to locate the city’s new Day Shelter for unhoused residents at the current Boulder Shelter for the homeless last month. KGNU’s Alexis Kenyon spoke with the CEO of Boulder’s Shelter for the Homeless, Michael Bloc, who says expanding services at the current location will give them a lot of tools they have needed to get more people off the street and into housing.
- play_arrowUntitledAlexis Kenyon Interview Transcript:Michael Block: Well, first of all, we’re really excited. This evolution has a lot more to do with what the city and the county want to do in terms of addressing homelessness in the evenings.
The good news is we can leverage the facilities that exist, which are really robust, like having a large number of showers and laundry services and having a kitchen on-site in a way that a brand new facility downtown would really struggle with. You could argue that there’s a better location. I think you can always make that argument about any homeless service project. But leveraging the facility that is so appropriate for providing these types of services just makes good sense, especially in the long run in terms of really being able to meet those basic needs, which I think is really important to try and gain the trust of the individuals we’re trying to reach.
Alexis Kenyon: What kinds of rules are you going to have in the shelter? I know from people I have talked to that a lot of the reasons they don’t go to shelters is because of the rules, you know, they can’t bring their dog or they can’t sleep next to their partner.
Michael Block: So what you’re really describing in the aggregate is the difficulty of expecting congregate settings to be able to serve everyone. And that’s really important to remember. One of the reasons why we decided to do this was because we were going to have enough housing resources.
It’s a much better landscape to meet everybody’s individual needs, whether they’re a couple, whether they have addiction issues, whether they have behavioral issues that might arise in a congregate setting that wouldn’t arise if they’re not in a congregate setting. If they have a dog. It’s really an opportunity for the entire homeless community, not just for those who can come through our door.
Now, in terms of specific issues around rules and safety, this is always the biggest struggle. The best-case scenario is if we had no rules. And we could just depend on common sense that allowed us to give as many services to as many people as we possibly can. When you’ve delivered services to thousands of people a year over the course of 40 years, we’ve learned that you can’t always depend on common sense.
And so it’s clear that every rule eliminates somebody who can’t follow that rule. So, all I can do is assure everyone who has this question that we’re really mindful about what we consider acceptable behavior and what we don’t consider acceptable behavior.
And in terms of the type of services that we want to provide during the day that are different than overnight, we’re going to make accommodations for people with dogs, for instance, in a way that we are unable to do at night. The issues of couples coming to the shelter that would then not be able to sleep together in a congregate setting, they could come to the day center, of course, and use our services.
If I could expand just a little bit on this, I would say that when you talk about the barriers to accessing services, there are a lot of services in town that have very strict rules around who can even come in the door. That is not our approach. We want to serve everybody. If you’ve been homeless for one day or 10 years, you’re our responsibility. We want to have answers for you.
When you talk about the barriers to accessing services, there are a lot of services in town that have very strict rules around who can even come in the door. That is not our approach.
And so we have lots of policies that make sure that door is open as wide as possible. If you have a substance abuse issue, we consider you our responsibility to try and have an answer for. If you have behavioral health issues, that’s our client. If you have medical issues, that’s our client. And there are so many different services in town that are restrictive in terms of how wide their doors open.
I’ll just say one more thing. The city did a survey this summer. They surveyed about 170 unsheltered individuals, and twice as many people said they didn’t access shelter services because they didn’t feel safe, not because of the rules. And so it really reinforces this notion of being really careful about the assumptions we make and really understanding that safety is really important too.
Alexis Kenyon: Tell me about what you were up against as a shelter that was only open at night.
Michael Block: Our mission is to create avenues to housing for our community’s homeless adult community.
And so the biggest indicator of our success is how many exits we can report. How many interactions can we have that lead to a successful exit from homelessness? And so that, at its core, is most exciting because there are a lot of resources that are embedded in the entire package that are going to allow us to do that.
Whether that’s reunification with family, paying rental arrears so that someone doesn’t become homeless, making sure that tenant supportive services are available to people once they get housed so they can stay housed, they’re getting the proper supports so they can remain housed. This robust housing package that’s part of the entire picture of what we’re going to be offering is what excites us, I think, the very most.
But I worked on the floor of the shelter, and you would encounter people and have conversations with them about the things they could do for themselves once they leave the shelter. Whether that’s to look for a job, or whether that’s pursue behavioral health issues, medical issues, addiction treatment, or housing resources, you would have them walk out the door and hope, right? I mean, think how exciting it is for a shelter worker to not have to hope.
I worked on the floor of the shelter, and you would encounter people and have conversations with them about the things they could do for themselves once they leave the shelter. Whether that’s to look for a job, or whether that’s pursue behavioral health issues, medical issues, addiction treatment, or housing resources, you would have them walk out the door and hope, right? I mean, think how exciting it is for a shelter worker to not have to hope.
All you have to do is say, ‘oh my God, our mental health provider’s going to be here at nine o’clock in the morning. Can I sign you up for that appointment?’ Or, you know, ‘Our job training will be here at noon. Why don’t we sign you up for that appointment?’
All you have to do is say, ‘oh my God, our mental health provider’s going to be here at nine o’clock in the morning. Can I sign you up for that appointment?’ Or, you know, ‘Our job training will be here at noon. Why don’t we sign you up for that appointment?’
And so that continuum and that continuity of being able to not just sort of, ‘Well, we’re done with you at eight in the morning, good luck. And you’re going to have to take three buses to get to the thing. I hope you agree with me that you need and can pursue it. And then maybe I’ll see you tonight.’
And so, I think that’s awfully exciting too, And I think it really provides an opportunity for us to change, rather than be a manager of a shelter service, which is really critical, right? I mean, this is the ER of homeless services, what’s going on here every single night. It’s really critical. But to be able to take it to the next level and be more engaged in helping people realize their goals, their pathways to greater self-actualization. That’s really exciting, too.
Alexis Kenyon: Yeah, i can see how there would be a lot of energy spent on that connection between one facility and the next.
Michael Block: I heard of a study, I met some folks up in Fort Collins, this was many years ago, and they did a study and tried to figure out where homeless people are actually spending their time and the amount of time. I don’t want to misquote it, because it was quite a while ago, but the amount of time that they spent simply moving around from place to place, or appointment to appointment, and waiting was remarkable. Right?
It’s amazing they could get anything done. And so that, that’s awfully exciting too, especially when there are issues of mobility and even access to reliable transportation. Even though we have a robust bus system, you know, having to make appointments, follow appointments. I mean, it just makes a lot more sense.
Alexis Kenyon: Tell me about what kinds of things you actually have to change in the shelter to make this a day shelter. Also, what are the services you’re going to provide?
Michael Block: Well, in the most general sense, we’re not going to have two services, like night and day services. We really are trying to view this as it’s one building, one program, and that there’ll be no start and finish anymore.
But this means adding staff. This means adding folks who will be coordinating with the partner agencies that are going to be providing services here. This means hiring additional maintenance crew. This means additional kitchen staff in order to provide an additional, probably in the neighborhood of 50,000 meals by adding a lunch service. This means making sure the impact even externally to the shelter, so we’re, we have a clean facility even on our grounds. Adding that sort of staff, and of course, we have to rearrange everything about our entire scheduling system. And how we run backups and how many people are on shift and how many employees we need in general. It is top to bottom and an enormous lift for us.
It’s an approximate 30 percent increase in our annual budget. And so, we have to implement that in a matter of months, which requires a lot of thought. But, we’re forging ahead and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. So, we are excited.
The post Adding the Day Shelter to Boulder Shelter for the Homeless will be key to getting people off the streets and into housing, says shelter CEO appeared first on KGNU Community Radio.
In Boulder, city staff presented preliminary flood mitigation plans to a crowd of around 70 people on Wednesday evening. The meeting comes close to six months after a controversial City Council decision to support the development of the flood mitigation project plan running along the Goose Creek wildlife corridor in central Boulder. Many who live along Goose Creek say the city has failed to get input from residents about how the plan could impact their homes or a beloved urban wildlife corridor. KGNU’s Alexis Kenyon attended the meeting and told us about how it went.
Ivonne Olivas and Fraziska Stangl contributed to this reporting.
Boulder city staff show a photo of the floodplains in North BoulderBoulder officials show an aerial photo of Boulder in 1938 before much of the present-day city was developed.Listen:
- play_arrowMorningMagazine_2023-11-20Alexis Kenyon The post “It’s a very real threat,” say city staff about need for flood planning along Boulder’s Edgewood Drive appeared first on KGNU Community Radio.
With the election just two weeks away from election day, money is flowing the Boulder and City Council mayoral races, we get an update on the contributions on spending from Shay Castle of Boulder Beat. Castle also explains Boulder’s municipal campaign finance program. One mayoral candidate has opted out of that program and has a wide lead in fundraising.Listen: play_arrow*MorningMagazine_2023-10-23Alexis Kenyon Download Audio
The post Elections 2023: What Boulder Mayoral and City Council Candidates are spending on their campaigns appeared first on KGNU Community Radio.
Boulder’s Mayoral candidates debated at Trident Cafe Wednesday evening (10/18). Check out Boulder Beat’s profiles of each of the candidates by Shay Castle.
Listen to KGNU’s broadcast of the debate which was moderated by The Boulder Reporting Lab:
Listen:
- play_arrowElections 2023: Boulder mayoral candidates debate arts funding, a day shelter, safe zones, the airport and moreAlexis Kenyon Download Audio
The post Elections 2023: Boulder mayoral candidates debate arts funding, a day shelter, safe zones, the airport and more appeared first on KGNU Community Radio.
On today’s program, KGNU’s Ivonne Olivas speaks with representatives from The League of Women Voters who explain the new ranked-choice voting method in place for Boulder’s first time electing a mayor via the ballot.
Then, City Cast Denver sits down with the state’s first Gen Z House Representative to talk about youth participation in the political process and pay barriers.
Listen: play_arrow*Elections 2023: Instant runoff voting primer and the state’s first Gen Z House representative discusses lawmaker paykgnu (Download Audio)
The post Elections 2023: Instant runoff voting primer and the state’s first Gen Z House representative discusses lawmaker pay appeared first on KGNU Community Radio.
During the October, 31, 2022 edition of A Public Affair this morning, host Rossana Longo Better speaks with Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin and Boulder County Clerk and Recorder Molly Fitzpatrick about the integrity of our elections, our local ballot […]
A few years ago, Boulder adopted changes intended to make it easier for citizens to petition questions onto the ballot. That system initially caused some confusion and some challenges. On Today’s A Public Affair, KGNU’s Sam Fuqua talks with Eric […]
Boulder’s City Council met for the final time of the year last night. Items on the agenda included how to communicate with City Council in the coming year and finalizing rules that essentially ban prevent fracking within city limits. Warnings […]
There were tears, anger and shared stories of grief about Monday’s shooting at Boulder’s King Soopers when Boulder City Council convened a special meeting Wednesday night. KGNU’s Roz Brown says after receiving a call from President Joe Biden earlier in […]
Two years ago, Sammie Lawrence thought he was within his rights when he began filming Boulder police questioning some folks in a park who were there because they were part of Boulder’s homeless community. But one of the police officers took […]
Boulder City Council last night approved the hiring of Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde as Boulder’s next city manager. KGNU’s Roz Brown says Rivera-Vandermyde will be the first female city manager of color and only the second woman to serve as Boulder’s City […]
For the second time in two weeks, crime was a focus of the Boulder City Council meeting last night. KGNU’s Roz Brown says Boulder City Council learned that the level of crime in the downtown business core is disproportionate to […]
Boulder City Council wants a report from its police chief ASAP – after hearing from several residents last night who believe an uptick in crime in the downtown area is making people afraid for their safety and driving tourists away […]
Boulder has adopted a plan to achieve a collective vision of racial equity. In a unanimous vote last night, KGNU’s Roz Brown reports Boulder City Council said it was a first step in addressing systemic and institutional racism in its […]
Starting today, the Boulder group, Bedrooms are for People will begin collecting endorsements using Boulder’s new online petition software. Boulder Direct Democracy has widely been reported as a first in the nation. But as KGNU’s Roz Brown reports, its rollout is anything […]
Boulder City Council issued a statement last night denouncing any “false equivalency” between the Holocaust and euthanizing prairie dogs. KGNU’s Roz Brown says the issue stemmed from a postcard sent to councilmembers. Listen to the report here: The postcard included […]
It’s been 16 years since local voters were promised a new passenger rail to Boulder and Longmont by the Regional Transportation District. The issue is back in the news with Colorado Governor Jared Polis weighing in on the delay. Last […]
Boulder is struggling to maintain “safe public spaces” for residents while managing an explosion of homeless encampments since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. KGNU’s Roz Brown says Boulder City Council discussed multiple solutions last night. When the pandemic hit […]
After taking a second look at a proposal to “reuse” Macy’s department store site, KGNU’s Roz Brown says Boulder City Council will allow a transformation of what was the anchor store when the 29th Street Mall opened in 2006. Listen […]
Shay Castle has been a working journalist in Boulder for more than eight years. Her work has appeared in the Colorado Sun, the New York Times, and many other publications. KGNU’s Roz Brown checks in with Castle a couple times a […]
Shay Castle has been a working journalist in Boulder for more than eight years. Her work has appeared in the Colorado Sun, the New York Times, and many other publications. KGNU’s Roz Brown checks in with Castle a couple times a […]
COVID-19 has caused disruptions in normal life at almost every level during 2020, including how police officers in Boulder, across the state and across the country are handling incidents of crime. KGNU’s Roz Brown says Boulder City Council received a […]
Shay Castle has been a working journalist in Boulder for more than eight years. Her work has appeared in the Colorado Sun, the New York Times, and many other publications. KGNU’s Roz Brown checks in with Castle a couple times a […]
Boulder residents will soon be engaging on the merits of a huge land annexation without any idea of what might be built there. KGNU’s Roz Brown says Boulder City Council received an update on the CU South Annexation last night […]
Boulder City Council approved an ordinance last night that helps establish a police oversight panel. The panel is supposed to help fix transparency and accountability, but as KGNU’s Roz Brown reports, not everyone thinks it will improve relations between police […]
Boulder City Council talked changes to alternative transportation options at a study session last night. No decisions were made, but as KGNU’s Roz Brown reports, the city is getting closer to new ordinances that will regulate human and electric devices […]
Boulder’s strict housing occupancy limits and whether changes should be made to them will be reviewed in early 2020. During a study session Tuesday night, Boulder City Council agreed to jump-start the public process. KGNU’s Roz Brown says the accelerated […]
The coronavirus pandemic is not letting up, and that doesn’t help local municipalities trying to pass budgets for 2021. Boulder City Council took up next year’s recommended budget last night and as KGNU’s Roz Brown reports, dozens of citizens begged […]
The general election is now a month away, and if all had gone as planned Boulder residents would be voting on a ballot measure to decide the future of the property known as CU South. The coronavirus combined with botched […]
With another winter approaching and the pandemic showing no signs of let-up, Boulder City Council heard a report on proposed changes to how those experiencing homelessness will be served this season. KGNU’s Roz Brown says since last winter there’s been […]
Despite a request from Governor Jared Polis, Boulder will not suspend housing occupancy limits for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. In July, the Governor recommended cities with restrictive occupancy limits temporarily relax laws regarding the number of unrelated people […]
Prairie dogs have been a nuisance on agriculture lands managed by Boulder’s Open Space Department for many decades – but the solution for how to control them is not a settled matter, as demonstrated by a lengthy discussion at Boulder […]
Boulder is the largest city in Colorado that does not directly elect its mayor. But that may change in future years. KGNU’s Roz Brown reports that voters rather than fellow City Council members may soon select the mayor. Listen to […]
After a month’s absence, Boulder County health officials updated Boulder City Council last night on how COVID-19 is affecting the community. KGNU’s Roz Brown reports that they also received details on an abrupt change in plans for how local schools […]
Controversial issues often attract a packed house at Boulder’s city hall, and according to KGNU’s Roz Brown a virtual meeting in the middle of a pandemic is no exception. Last night, 127 people signed up to share their views on […]
Three measures Boulder residents had hoped to place on the November ballot through direct democracy are still in limbo after hours of conversation by city council Tuesday night. Listen to the report: https://objects-us-east-1.dream.io/kgnu-news/2020/07/7-23-2020_BoulderCityCouncil_BallotIssue.mp3 (Download Audio) Bad advice from the city […]
A controversial apartment development in Gunbarrel will get its first look by Boulder City Council members on Tuesday, July 28. The proposed housing development is proposed for property adjacent to the Celestial Seasonings headquarters. Listen to the report: https://objects-us-east-1.dream.io/kgnu-news/2020/07/7-22-2020_Gunbarrel_KGNU.mp3 (Download […]
Two groups working to put measures on Boulder’s November ballot through direct democracy have been told they missed the date for submission. KGNU’s Roz Brown says the determination was made Friday despite the groups relying on written advice from the […]
The 2020 elections are still months away and despite COVID-19, a group is collecting signatures with the goal of changing the way Boulder selects its mayor. If successful, KGNU’s Roz Brown says the question would ask voters to decide if […]
This Friday is Juneteenth – a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Boulder City Council passed a resolution last night to acknowledge the importance of the day, but as KGNU’s Roz Brown reports, many who called […]
Like communities across the country, Boulder is grappling with police reform following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. KGNU’s Roz Brown says Boulder City Council took up the topic last night. Listen to the report: https://objects-us-east-1.dream.io/kgnu-news/2020/06/6-10-20_BoulderCityCouncil.mp3 (Download Audio) The […]
Just as it was becoming clear the coronavirus pandemic would devastate city coffers, Boulder and Xcel Energy announced mid-May that discussions would begin to explore a new path to help Boulder meet its future energy goals. That exploration will include […]
Downtown Boulder may look more like its “old self” this weekend – busy with diners headed to restaurants after a three-month absence due to COVID-19. KGNU’s Roz Brown says at last night’s meeting, Boulder City Council heard guidelines that allow […]
Slower speed limits are coming to Boulder’s residential streets. KGNU’s Roz Brown says Boulder City Council voted unanimously last night to limit speeds for cars making their way through city neighborhoods. Listen to the report below: https://objects-us-east-1.dream.io/kgnu-news/2020/05/5-20-20_BoulderCC_20isPlenty.mp3 (Download Audio) The […]
Boulder residents were allowed to adopt Safer at Home measures last Saturday after six-and-a-half weeks under stay-at-home orders to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. KGNU’s Roz Brown reports that county health officials had mostly positive news for Boulder […]
As Boulder County prepares to transition into Colorado’s “safer-at-home” order this Saturday, public health officials painted a slightly brighter picture of the local COVID-19 status to Boulder City Council last night. KGNU’s Roz Brown says the loosened restrictions will better […]