Opinion: New Denver homeless hotel avoids Fusion Studios shortcomings

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless' latest property features this lovely computer lab. The lab at Fusion was made into offices for staff.Photo byJohn Schroeder

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless last week opened a 210-room homeless apartment complex in the former Clarion Hotel in Globeville. The refurbished building is chock full of features that Fusion Studios needs. Coalition CEO Britta Fisher described these features during the grand opening of the building, called Renewal Village.

Unlike at Renewal Village, there was no extensive renovation of Fusion’s first floor when they bought the 1980s era building. Many offices for staff are small, cramped and makeshift.

“We have learned from our past efforts, and we have put that into this building,” Fisher said.

Opinion: Coalition’s new homeless hotel a Fusion 2.0

Renewal Village boasts nine washers and dryers, and free laundry. Fusion has just two washers and three dryers in the tiny laundry rooms, and each load costs $1.50. Many residents at Fusion do not have an income and therefore wash their clothes in the bathtub.

Renewal Village offers gathering places for people who live in the building. These are places where residents can get to know one another and build community. Common spaces do encourage social interaction, and in the beginning, Fusion did not have any lobby furniture. Couches, chairs, and tables now offer an inviting place to sit. I know the furniture has been heat treated at least once for bed bugs. The Coalition has been heat-treating several rooms for the infestation.

Electrical, plumbing upgrades

The Coalition invested in electrical and plumbing upgrades at the former Clarion. At Fusion, plumbing problems have proven a menace, with sewage backing up and regular floods. The electrical wiring is old and outlets are falling out of the walls in some rooms. We had a fire recently sparked by an electrical issue. The water damage from the sprinklers was severe, but thankfully no one was injured.

Renewal Village also sports new elevators, Fisher said. The elevators at Fusion constantly break down. There has been some talk about replacing the elevators, but I cannot imagine that sort of investment being made in a 1980s era building.

Renewal Village.Photo byDennis Schroeder

Misting devices that put off a pleasant scent were placed in the drop ceilings of the hallways at Fusion. These would be an excellent feature at Renewal Village, too, as it masks the scent of fentanyl in the hallways.

Building a better internet

I have made it no secret that the internet situation at Fusion is unacceptable. Users constantly get kicked off the system. It goes down for hours at a time. The staff internet is hardly any better, multiple employees have told me. I have made a big deal out of this and even appeared on the Mandy Connell Show on KOA radio twice. Cathy Alderman, Coalition spokesperson, went on the show, too, to rebut me. At the Renewal Village grand opening, Coalition CEO Britta Fisher said the new building will even have its own internet technology staff, which Fusion does not. So, when our internet goes down there is not even anyone around to reboot a modem.

Courtyard, surveillance

Renewal Village also has a courtyard. Fusion has the former pool area. The pool was filled in with cement and has block concrete walls around it. The area is not very inviting, and no one uses it except to prop open the door so people who jump the pool wall can sneak in.

No doubt, Renewal Village has video surveillance of almost square foot, or at least it should. Many cameras have been added at Fusion the past four years that I have lived here. I am a firm believer that those cameras need to always be in every nook and cranny. This building is filled with unpredictable, dangerous people. Without a security guard on every floor always the only thing keeping us safe are those cameras and the hope that a security guard is watching if something goes awry, such as a drunk or high resident kicking in doors.

Making investments, building trust

The City of Denver pumped $14 million into Renewal Village, according to Fisher, and the federal government chipped in $4 million. Adams County donated $3.8 million, Fisher said. Twenty rooms will be available for Adams County residents experiencing homelessness.

A room at Renewal Village.Photo byDennis Schroeder

It costs money to improve living environments. I cannot even imagine what the pest control bill alone is at Fusion Studios. But I hope the Coalition continues to invest in Fusion, as it has in recent months, such as replacing the flooring in the hallways. For example, Renewal Village features full-sized refrigerators. Here, the rooms came with tiny motel fridges. Mine broke and was replaced with a beautiful, full-sized stainless-steel refrigerator. But only about four of those ever were given out. I am not sure how I rated one.

I know several residents at Fusion who would do anything for a full-sized refrigerator. Maybe the Coalition should just buy them and deliver them next week. It sure would send the residents of Fusion a positive message. It does not do much good to learn from your mistakes at one property by improving another without also taking care of the original building’s shortcomings.