Denver officials recently released a “practical guide” to help other cities around the country invest taxpayer dollars in housing, health care and other services for immigrants.
The 15-step “manual,” which describes immigrants as “newcomers” in its first paragraph, lays out several ways other cities can manage the crisis by outlining best practices and procedures for integrating immigrants into local communities. .
The surge in immigrants has strained city resources and forced Denver Mayor Mike Johnston to cut millions from the budget to accommodate them.
For example, the Denver Police Department’s budget is being cut by approximately $8.4 million, or 1.9%, Fox News confirmed. The city’s fire department will also face a budget reduction.
DENVER MIGRANT ADVOCATES SAY SIX MONTHS FREE RENT, NOT ENOUGH FOOD: ‘A SLAP IN THE FACE’ AND ‘OFFENSIVE’
Officials prepare to help transport people to shelters or housing from Denver’s largest migrant camp on Jan. 3, 2024. (Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
“Our efforts include helping people continue traveling as needed, offering temporary shelter, facilitating the search for permanent housing, and providing vital support in terms of medical and mental health, work authorization, legal assistance, school enrollment, and more,” says the guide. the introduction is read.
The guide provides cities with information on how officials can provide shelter, offer “onward transportation” and establish intake centers where immigrants can access free food, clothing, medical care and legal advice.
Other tips include creating databases of information on newcomers, the importance of having Spanish-speaking staff working with immigrants, and establishing a city budget that tracks spending and oversees funding.
Johnston says the manual, called “Newcomer’s Playbook: A Guide to Welcoming Newcomers to Your City,” gives other localities the tools they need to help immigrants “regardless of how they entered the country.” “.
“We are proud that this playbook will help newcomers resettle in cities with more opportunities, help cities across the country successfully welcome newcomers, and revitalize the workforce,” Johnston said in a statement announcing the document at the end of last month.
He said Denver has been a “national leader” on the issue, having welcomed about 42,000 immigrants and providing them with essential services and resources.
The guide explains that it refers to immigrants as “newcomers” to recognize that those who cross the border are “new to our city and adopting more inclusive language.”
Mayor Mike Johnston recently announced significant budget cuts to help Denver address its immigration crisis. (RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Other areas of the document advise cities to create a “newcomer monetary fund through a foundation,” provide “rapid housing assistance” and help immigrants with work authorization applications.
The guidance also suggests that cities set up shower trailers and laundry trucks if such services are not available on-site.
It continues to promote a newly created “Denver Asylum Seeker Program” for 1,000 people currently in the city’s immigrant shelter facilities.
“We will connect new arrivals with housing assistance options for up to six months from the date of their asylum application. Additionally, new arrivals will be connected to an innovative pre-work authorization preparation program called ‘WorkReady.’ “, reads the document.
“They will be able to collaborate with case managers to ensure they are moving on the right path and connect with job training opportunities through partnerships with nonprofits, local businesses, educational institutions and training organizations.”
The program also includes access to language instruction, career path exploration, training with industry-recognized credentials, and work-based learning opportunities.
A migrant on a sleeping mat at a makeshift shelter in Denver on January 13, 2023. (Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
In March, city officials pleaded with landlords to “accommodate” immigrants after the city reduced some of its immigrant services to reduce the budget deficit.
Johnston also announced last month that nearly $46 million would be cut from the budget to help fund a $90 million package that funds relief and housing for immigrants for the rest of the year. Fox31 reported.
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The publication of the manual came just weeks after a Denver official, Andrés Carrera, was heard on video telling migrants that the city’s shelters can no longer help them and that they must go to other cities or “they will suffer.” .
“The opportunities are over,” Carrera supposedly tells the group in Spanish. “New York gives you more. Chicago gives you more. So I suggest you go there, where there is long-term accommodation. There are more job opportunities there too.”
