Denver homeless hotel has 7 deaths since January

Seven people have died at a hotel-turned-shelter for Denver’s homeless people since it opened in December, according to the city's medical examiner.

The former DoubleTree by Hilton hotel serves hundreds of homeless people under a campaign by Mayor Mike Johnston to move 2,000 individuals out of the city's streets by the end of this year. That figure counts the 1,000-plus homeless individuals who moved into temporary shelters, including at the former DoubleTree hotel, last year.

The hotel, located at 4040 Quebec St., came under scrutiny following a double homicide on March 16, when police said two victims were found dead inside a room. The medical examiner’s office later determined they were shot to death.

In addition, five other deaths occurred at 4040 Quebec St. since Jan. 19, according to the data obtained by The Denver Gazette via a public records request.

The causes of death remained unclear, though the medical examiners said it is awaiting toxicology results.

A day prior to the double homicide on March 15, two other deaths were reported at the hotel’s location, according to the records.

Three other deaths happened between Jan. 19 and Jan. 30, the records also showed.

A spokesperson with the mayor’s office who contacted The Denver Gazette insisted not all deaths are related to the city’s “All In Mile High” program, the name adopted by the Johnston administration for the mayor's campaign to end homelessness.

The city’s homeless dashboard , which tracks "exits" from the city's "All In High Mile" program, shows that a total of nine people have died. Earlier, the dashboard showed that six people have died, and the mayor's office said four of those deaths occurred at the former DoubleTree hotel.

Of the seven deaths at former DoubleTree hotel tracked by the medical examiner, three were guests or visitors, the mayor's office said, adding the city's homeless dashboard doesn't track deaths of people who were not part of the program.

The medical examiner's office said it makes no such distinction.

“It’s important to remember that our data includes all investigated fatalities at this address,” a spokesperson with the medical examiner’s office told The Denver Gazette in an email Tuesday. “We do not separate out a list of people who were part of the ‘All in Mile High’ program at the time of their death.”

It is unclear exactly where inside the DoubleTree the death’s occurred, the medical examiner spokesperson added.

The former DoubleTree hotel and its immediate surroundings have been a hot spot for 911 calls since it became a homeless shelter.

Between Oct. 1 and Jan. 12, dispatchers fielded 1,212 calls from the hotel and within 1,000 meters, according to Department of Public Safety data obtained by The Denver Gazette. That number of emergency call far exceeded the number of calls from the other shelters.

The city's campaign to get homeless people out of the city's streets has been expensive.

Last year, it cost the city $45 million to move 1,135 individuals into shelters. Johnston's administration anticipates spending another $50 million to provide shelter to 1,000 more people this year.

A critical part of Johnston’s strategy is acquiring hotel units and building “micro-communities.”

Critics and nearby residents of the sites earlier expressed fears the shelters would negatively affect local businesses and residents. They said they also worry about an increase in crime, loitering, open-air drug use and a decrease in local property values.

In late November, Denver approved the lease-purchase agreement for the DoubleTree hotel for $83,333.33 a month for up to 15 months, with the option to purchase the 289-room hotel for up to $43 million at any time during the lease.

An LLC associated with Rocky Mountain Communities purchased the hotel for $39 million on Nov. 28, according to property records.

The nonprofit is leasing the property to the city and serves as its landlord.

The Salvation Army is under a $10 million contract with the city to operate the DoubleTree.