At 22, I moved to New York City, encountering an unhoused population of over 30,000. I learned to feel safe there.
Moving to Durango in 1992, I met a different group of unhoused people – working families, people who moved here because they want to live in a community with people who care about each other.
In Durango’s winters, most unhoused stay here due to a strong connection to our city.
There are many causes for homelessness; the solutions must be individually tailored. There are meaningful differences between the managed, limited-population, gated community proposed at Elkview, which provides a path back to self-sustainability, and the unmanaged camping during the 416 Fire.
Our unhoused neighbors deserve a second chance to survive in Durango.
Carolyn HunterDurango
