I believe that poverty is not a crime and everyone deserves access to safe, affordable housing. We must work together as a region to bring homelessness to functional zero and make housing affordable in Denver.
Denver continues to sweep encampments but the unhoused population continues to increase in Denver. Encampment sweeps are a costly, traumatizing, cosmetic approach that disperses people rather than meeting individual needs to reduce the number of people living unhoused. We need a compassionate solution for everyone.
Ending homelessness starts with advancing housing justice for tenants and homeowners, especially Black and Indigenous communities in Denver. We need to sustainably control housing costs, increase the supply of affordable housing, and combat systemic and historic drivers of housing inequality.
Everyone should have the opportunity to become a homeowner, and people should not have to worry about losing their shelter because of financial instability or health issues. Connecting people with housing and services reduces police interactions, improves public safety, and reduces demand and cost on publicly-funded emergency services.
To get a better understand of the homelessness situation is Denver:
I believe that a safe community is one where everyone feels protected and valued. For Denver, this includes working with law enforcement to ensure transparency and accountability to our communities, as well as investing in community-based programs that address the root causes of crime.
In the long term, we need to address the systemic issues that contribute to crime, such as lack of affordable housing, wages that have not kept up with inflation, and lack of resources for youth. While property crime, substance abuse, and car theft are serious issues and residents are rightfully concerned, criminalization alone is not the answer. We need to work towards real solutions that address the root causes of crime and promote equity and justice for everyone in our community.
I believe that Denver needs to be a city leader on reducing its emissions for other city to follow.
It’s also important that everyone in Denver has access to safe, clean green spaces. Universal access to city parks, community gardens, and other green spaces is correlated with physical and mental health benefits for residents, and better air quality, less noise, and heat mitigation for neighborhoods.
I believe that cars should not be the only option for transportation.
Denver was built for cars. However, we are turning into a city where residents want to live without a car and be able to use trains, buses, bicycles, and sidewalks to get around. The plans to address our transportation issues have been developed by Denver with Blueprint Denver and Mobility Action Plan. We need to make the city agencies accountable and give them the support they need to make these plans happen.
I believe that government should work.
If a city can’t provide basic services, residents aren’t going to trust the city to do bigger projects. Let’s make Denver’s services reliable and bring trust back to government.
I believe that your issues in District 7 need to be addressed.
If elected, I will listen to all constituents and be the voice of District 7 to Denver’s agencies, the City Council, and the mayor. I will be visible with my work to hold myself accountable. Last, I will be accessible to learn your concerns by showing up to events, hosting coffee hours, and scheduling meetings.
These are the outstanding projects for District 7. I will lead the charge to get these projects to completion.