Denver woman gets housing after a year of trying

DENVER (KDVR) — A Denver woman, previously homeless, says it took her a year to find housing through the city.

Sherry Lopez said she was recently notified by the St. Francis Center that she had been accepted into a downtown Volunteers of America location.

“Yeah, I got my apartment, finally,” she said.

St. Francis Center is a contracted service provider at one of the All in Mile High communities, part of Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration’s efforts to get people off the streets and into homes.

Previously, Lopez said she had no luck in securing a spot.

“I was getting denied. They didn’t have no reason,” she said. “They just said that I didn’t fit the qualifications.”

The city of Denver has just released its latest All in Mile High community numbers, which take a closer look at how much of the homeless population is moved off the streets.

As of June 18, 1,623 people have been moved indoors. Of this total, 536 people were permanently housed and 703 people have been sheltered for 30 or more days.

There are also 51 people who have been sheltered for fewer than 30 days.