DENVER (KDVR) — Christopher Haworth was born with cerebral palsy and makes use of a wheelchair to get round. He stated he was denied entry to a Denver homeless shelter when his wheelchair couldn’t get by means of the trail to the assigned mattress.
“I used to be turned away as a result of I could not get to the mattress itself due to the pathway, they usually stated they would not have anyone transfer from a more in-depth mattress from the additional one, so I slept outdoors that evening,” Haworth stated.
He is without doubt one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by Incapacity Regulation United, Newman/McNulty, LLC, and Brooklyn Regulation Faculty’s Incapacity and Civil Rights clinic on behalf of Housekeys Motion Community Denver (HAND) and a gaggle of disabled, houseless individuals.
“We’re simply asking for equal remedy for everybody who’s unhoused to entry shelter right here in Denver so they do not threat their lives by having to remain outdoors when it is freezing chilly, raining or every other scenario,” stated lawyer Andy McNulty.
One of many different plaintiffs stated she was not allowed to make use of medical scissors in a shelter to keep up her colostomy bag.
“All I needed to do was put somewhat tack on the workplace wall and grasp my scissors on them so I may entry them each two to 3 days once I want them for 5 to 10 minutes, however they would not let me do it, they usually stored making me use theirs which reduce this very jagged noticed blade edge that simply sliced me aside,” she stated.
The group shared tales in entrance of the Metropolis and County Constructing on Wednesday, and claimed the problems may very well be discovered at lots of the shelter websites, not only one particularly.
In response, the Division of Housing Stability stated, “The Metropolis and County of Denver is all the time working to enhance the shelter system and meet the wants of our unhoused neighbors.”
The Denver Metropolis Legal professional’s Workplace stated they don’t touch upon pending litigation.
