With his downtown struggling to make a full comeback from the pandemic, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced a Safe and Clean Downtown initiative designed to address some of the city’s most pressing issues.
The plan has six parts:
- Clean and safe app. The city partnered with the Downtown Denver Partnership to launch the Clean & Safe app, which lets any resident or visitor notify the city and community partners when they see something that makes Denver feel less than safe and clean.
- Fast responses to issues. The new app allows the city to send requests for help to the right people. For instance, a report of someone experiencing a mental health crisis could go to the city’s co-responder program.
- Denver Ambassador program. A beefed-up ambassador program is a combined effort of nonprofit groups, city employees, private security firms, and the Downtown Denver Partnership. Ambassadors wear yellow vests and share one linked channel of communication.
- Community activation. “Safety is not just about the absence of crime but about the presence of joy,” says Johnston. The Dynamic Downtown Denver grant program provides grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to help artists, creators, and innovators, bring events and vibrancy downtown.
- Business activation. The city is also working with business owners to activate their buildings and neighborhoods. The city is working to make it easy to permit and plan these activities.
- Addressing homelessness. In the second half of 2023, the city moved 1,100 people off the streets and into housing. The city has also cleared out homeless encampments.
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