As the number of people experiencing
homelessness in Denver goes up,
nine wants to know, has learned.
Hundreds of people are seeking
refuge at the city's airport as
investigative reporter Jeremy Hola
finds some people refuse to leave,
causing an endless cycle of
arrests and cases going nowhere.
58 million people with tickets travel
through Denver's airport last year.
With so many people going somewhere,
never please what's going on,
but some have nowhere to go
unless you have business here,
it's not a shelter here and and
duck ticketed for a different trip,
turn around and put your hands
on your head. This is Sam.
You're not supposed to be here.
Pretty cool no. There's shelters downtown,
one of hundreds seeking shelter at DIA.
You guys told him to go to
shelter and shelter. People.
Assign Denver struggle with increasing
homelessness amid COVID now connects
far out to the city's largest tent,
a place where bathrooms,
Wi-Fi and warm cover become a refuge.
What's her name, brother?
Jeremy pleasure to meet you yeah,
so how long have you been
coming here to the airport for?
Probably about a couple
weeks like a couple weeks,
Cheryl tells me he can blend in at DIA
when you when you do come to the
airport here. How long do you
stay here for just just overnight?
Patrain makes the airport
an easy destination.
More people are making the journey.
The number of police contacts
with the unsheltered has nearly
tripled in the last few years,
and while most people get a warning,
a surprising number aren't
deterred by a trip downtown.
But doesn't surprise me because
it's a safe public space and
with the amenities that people
experiencing homelessness need,
what does surprise Cathy
Alderman with the Colorado
Coalition for the Homeless is?
How often people are getting
arrested for trespassing?
I think the cycling of individuals
experiencing homelessness
through the criminal justice
system is absolutely a problem.
It is unproductive and it is
very expensive for taxpayers.
It has become a common trip arrived by
train, returned downtown by squad car.
It's a cycle that city just can't stop.
Sarah opened the door. We don't want
to break the window of your car.
Take Sam last year, police
found him sleeping in a car.
Hey, what's up man?
What's your name Sam?
Goddamnit Sam that's not
your car he doesn't have a car.
Police arrested Sam over
guess who it is and over investigating
you for trespassing and over some was
here 2 days ago for trespassing again.
Is he here again for trespass?
We've contacted you before you're
not supposed to be out here
I'm just homeless. Alright,
17 arrests in three years.
He even says himself as soon as he bonds out.
He's going to come right back.
Sam tops the list of 30 people we found
with multiple trespassing arrests.
Police say Sam has accosted people,
others have stolen bags.
We've seen the same people
arrested over and over again.
That's obviously not working.
It's not working.
Denver Chief Paul Payson says police can't
control people who repeatedly refuse help.
They don't need to seek this
type of shelter at a facility
that's not designed as a shelter,
and sometimes we have folks that are
service resistant. I don't believe
there is an innovative program
that we have not tried in the city.
City attorney Kristin Bronson says.
Everyone arrested at the
airport has been offered help.
Obviously in some of these
cases that's not working.
There are some that have been resistant,
and despite our efforts to get them
either to services or to comply to return
back downtown, they've just refused.
Does the city need to send more
resources to DIA to help deal with
this issue? Right now? I think
we're able to handle the issue,
but not all agree the city has done
all it. Can are those resources
available here at the airport?
We are working to increase the
availability of of additional
resources to help support. This issue
there's both a moral and a fiscal
imperative to take a different
approach. So many people going
somewhere, but some come to stay
as that gonna be the status quo. We
will continue to try to keep this
international transportation hub safe.
We will continue to work to address
criminal behavior that is our focus.
You're going to jail.
A familiar crisis has arrived at the airport.
If you come back, you will
be arrested again, and
for now it's going nowhere.
Every time we see you.
You're going to be taken to jail.
I spoke to Sam
several times off camera.
He has been struggling with homelessness
for the past seven years. He
has been ordered by the courts
into a Wellness program,
however, that did not stop
him from going to die again.
His latest arrest was December.
The city says he's been repeatedly
offered services like the others
who've been arrested multiple times,
so we've got a complex issue here.
Not one simple answer.
It's interesting when you
talk about the A line.
I always think about that fair.
It's $10.
$0.50 it's a pretty expensive
fare to get out there,
and some of the folks I encountered
said they can make it without
paying without being checked on
that a line all the way from Union
Station all the way out to DIA.
So they're using the train to get out there.
Interesting problem,
it'll be interesting to see
how the city solves it.
Jeremy, Hola,
thank you.