Settlement Reached in Denver Homeless Sweeps Class Action Suit

DENVER, CO - A landmark settlement has been reached in the Denver Homeless Sweeps Class Action lawsuit. After almost three years of litigation, the parties have forged an agreement that will be an impactful step forward in protecting the rights and dignity of people living homeless in Denver, according to a written release today from the advocacy group Denver Homeless Out Loud.

“This will mean I can go to live and work with more stability,” says Eric Plaintiff class member. “It is about time the City recognizes we have constitutional rights to our property too - even if all we have fits in a tent.”

This class action lawsuit asserted that the constitutional rights to one’s property enshrined in the 4th and 14th amendment were violated in sweeps where homeless people’s property has been seized.

The settlement will help create policy to defend basic property rights of people living without housing. It gives every homeless person the right to have their property in public space without being subject to seizure by the City without due process and adequate notice. The settlement spells out detailed policy for how notice must be given, how property can be retrieved, and how the city will be held accountable to these policies.

In addition to protecting property rights of homeless people, this settlement creates a number of resources for homeless people in Denver including but not limited to lockers, trash cans and increase trash servicing, porta-potties, mobile health unit, better access to Recreation Centers for showers, and more. The settlement also requires the City to obtain input from homeless people at periodic meetings before making changes to the resources in this settlement.

The settlement will go through a court process before becoming official. A press conference will be held with member of the plaintiff class prior to the Final Pretrial Conference at the US District Court of Colorado at 1pm on Friday, March 1, 2019.