By Duke London

 

In Colorado, it’s usually the education budget, law enforcement, and infrastructure that see the most benefit from legal marijuana tax revenue.

The state’s third largest city, Aurora, just changed that in a big way. The city will divert a third of its marijuana tax revenue to organizations that help the homeless. The city faces a growing number of displaced citizens, including a large number of families that occupy the city’s motels but can’t afford other day-to-day necessities like food or clean clothes. By comparison, the chart below will show you how the entire state of Colorado allocated their tax revenue from legal marijuana sales in the fiscal year 2014-15.

Infrastructure is immensely important, but is fixing a pothole as crucial as saving a life? That’s the question these communities will have to ask themselves going forward as they prioritize the distribution of revenue. With the state already doling out millions in certain sectors, the localized governments should be focusing their dollars on areas that aren’t seeing much, or any at all. The city of Aurora sat on the money until they had a formidable plan in place. From the moment legal marijuana shops opened up their doors until now, the city has raked in roughly $8 million in tax revenue. The city has been saving this money while determining the best course of action.

Aurora’s Ward I is affected most by the homeless crisis in the city, seeing a high concentration along the Colfax corridor where much of the homeless’ current support system exists. We reached out to Aurora Councilwoman Sally Mounier, who represents Ward I and backed the initiative. Seeing Aurora’s problem firsthand in her Ward, Councilwoman Mounier is more than familiar with  the city’s urgent homeless situation. Mounier broke down the allocation of funds for us, as some of the figures in circulation have been slightly misleading.

The city voted to divert $1.5 million of their marijuana tax income per year to various homeless outreach causes for a total of three years. By 2019, Aurora will have spent $4.5 million to ease the struggles of their homeless population.  The following bullet points lay out how the city will use the first $1.5 million:

• The Colfax Community Network, an advocacy group that provides support, education, and other services to families that are forced to live in the low-income transient housing along Colfax Avenue, will receive $220,000.
• Two full-time employees will be hired for Comitis Crisis Center, costing $91,000. The Aurora homeless shelter has served veterans, runaway youth, and families for over 44 years.
• Up to $90,000 is being set aside to purchase two vans. One will go to Comitis while the other will call the Aurora Mental Health Center home. The vans will be used to pick up and transport homeless individuals and families, especially those occupying the Colfax and Havana areas of the city.
• A “Landlord Recruiter” will transition from  half-time to full-time at a cost of $45,000. The position’s main objective will be to convince Aurora area landlords to rent to recovering homeless people and their families, greatly aiding their reestablishment into society. This person will find local vacancies and try to place as many of the homeless as he or she can.
• The remaining funds are unassigned as of yet, but the city is considering building a “day center” where people in need could go to learn, get support, and nourishment. The potential services include, but are not limited to, showers and other hygiene-related maintenance, health services, education, and a safe location to inhabit.

When I asked Councilwoman Mounier if she thought other cities would take notice and start addressing their respective homeless dilemmas, she answered, “I would certainly hope so, this is where the rubber meets the road. As a municipality, homelessness is an issue we have to deal with. We’re moving rapidly towards this great solution for an immediate problem.”

There has been quite a bit of misinformation in the press regarding the Colfax Community Network, claiming the organization was bankrupt or on the verge of closing. While the homeless outreach center has faced their fair share of struggles, this tax windfall represents more than just a financial safety net for Colfax. The influx of resources means they’ll be able to reach a far greater number of individuals and families in need, plus provide more services to help them get back on their feet.

We spoke with Megan Vivina from Colfax, who said the generous contribution will allow the city to double their current reach of 150 people per week or nearly 8,000 annually. Colfax will now be able to distribute far more tangible resources to the Aurora homeless population, including hygienic supplies, safe sex kits, and cold weather gear for those unfortunate enough to be stuck outside without shelter. Megan exclaimed, “The marijuana tax revenue is an amazing and incredible gift. I think it’s a profoundly creative way to provide a system of support for our community and as a native Coloradan, I’m very proud of my state.”

One unexplored benefit of Aurora using tax revenue to help reacclimate their homeless population back into society is the potential of the people. Providing people with another chance at a normal life may inspire them to chase their dreams and pursue something that will help the community even further. There’s no telling what a person with a restored sense of pride and a new lease on life can give back to the city that saved them, creating a far more positive community. If city and state governments can keep coming up with creative ways to use marijuana tax revenue for good, the people will keep buying.

Instead of formulating strategies to slow or stop the legalization efforts, the politicians in a position of influence will hopefully see these efforts and realize the tremendous good that is coming from marijuana. If you’d like to learn more about the work that the Colfax Community Network is doing in the Aurora community, you can visit their website.