Wayne Wilkins has been homeless in Aurora for just over a year after failing to pay his $1,375 monthly rent at an apartment he used to lease in the city. He now lives in a tent with his girlfriend — pitching it anywhere in Aurora where he thinks he will least likely be asked to move along. Last week, the couple slept in a field between Toll Gate Creek and the sprawling Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, with the roar of Interstate 225 just off to the east.
“We set up late in the afternoon and pack up first thing in the morning,” said Wilkins, who goes by the nickname Smokey. While both Wilkins and his girlfriend have managed to avoid encounters with law enforcement, that may not be the case for much of Aurora’s homeless population in the coming months as elected leaders aim to toughen the city’s urban camping ban and decrease the number of tents that pop up. It’s an approach to homelessness that integrates with other initiatives Aurora has launched, including a court created to specifically deal with those who have no roof over their heads and a soon-to-debut housing program that places conditions of employment on residency.
Aurora’s work-first strategy contrasts with Denver’s, where a housing-first ethic infuses all of the city’s efforts to help the unhoused. On Monday, the Aurora City Council will cast a final vote on an ordinance that eliminates the requirement that the city provide 72-hour notice to those camping illegally before disassembling an.