Denver launched a new partnership Monday between 311 and the Early Intervention Team to change the way the city responds to homeless encampments.

Beginning Monday, Denver will now direct calls about unsanctioned homeless encampments to 311 instead of the Denver Police Department. From there, the EIT will respond to the encampments in place of officers.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said the new approach will provide a more efficient and effective response to non-criminal calls about homeless encampments.

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“Our first priority is to connect our unhoused neighbors with safer, healthier and more stable options than living on the streets,” Hancock said. “That means a human services response and not a public safety response.”

When responding to unsanctioned encampments, the EIT will be tasked with connecting homeless residents to appropriate shelter, housing, treatment and care options.

Officials estimate that the EIT will handle around 25 cases per day, though calls are much more frequent since multiple calls are often made about the same encampment.

Police will still handle reports of crimes being committed in and around homeless encampments. Police will also still be involved in large-scale cleanups of encampments that present public health or safety concerns, officials said. 

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“We don’t need police officers being the first responders for routine calls about encampments,” Hancock said. “(This) is another step towards delivering a non-law enforcement response to calls about people experiencing homelessness.”

The EIT was launched late last year by Hancock’s administration as part of an effort to implement alternative response policies to police.

Hancock also began Denver’s STAR program in 2018, deploying mental health clinicians and paramedics to handle low-level mental health episodes instead of police. The STAR pilot has run successfully since it was launched in June 2020.

Denver has also recently begun exploring alternative housing solutions, including establishing sanctioned campsites for residents experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.