Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper alongside Colorado U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Jason Crow, Brittany Pettersen, and Yadira Caraveo pushed Congressional leaders for more funding to support communities in Colorado and across the country as they continue to face new migrant arrivals.
In their letter, the Colorado lawmakers urged U.S. Senate and House Appropriations Committee leaders to allocate $5 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program (SSP) in the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) government funding bill – as requested by Colorado mayors including Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. This funding would help reduce the financial burden on local cities as they provide humanitarian assistance to migrants.
“The City of Denver is not the only city in Colorado responding to this crisis. From Aurora to Carbondale, and many communities in between, local governments, and nonprofits are straining their budgets and resources to support newcomers,” wrote the lawmakers. “The FEMA SSP funding is essential to support state and local government social service and nonprofit organizations that aid migrants. Without this support, Colorado communities will continue to face an immense financial burden.”
Since February 2023, Denver has received over 40,000 migrants, has spent more than $58 million in response, and is projecting a budget deficit of $120 million as a result of this influx. Denver continues to provide shelter for over 700 people and Denver Public Schools has enrolled over 3,000 new students this academic year. Migrant arrivals in the past year have made up 4.6 of Denver’s population, alone – straining local housing, education, and health care resources.
In January, Bennet, Hickenlooper, Crow, Pettersen, and Johnston called on Congress to support communities receiving migrants. Earlier that month, Bennet, Hickenlooper, Crow, Neguse, and Pettersen urged FEMA to increase its support for communities and nonprofits assisting migrants arriving in Colorado.
The text of the letter is available HERE and below.
Dear Chair Murray, Ranking Member Collins, Chair Granger, and Ranking Member DeLauro:
We write to urge strong support for fulfilling the request of interior city Mayors, including the City of Denver’s Mayor Mike Johnston, to appropriate $5 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program (SSP) for Fiscal Year 2025.
Since February 2023, the City of Denver (the City) has received over 40,000 migrants, many of whom have been sent to Colorado from the southwest border. The City has spent more than $58 million on its response, and is projecting a budget deficit of $120 million—a fraction of which the federal government has agreed to reimburse.
The migrants arriving in the past year represent 4.6% of the City’s population, which significantly strains the City’s housing, education, and health care systems. As of last week, Denver was sheltering approximately 730 people in city-run shelters. Denver Public Schools has enrolled over 3,000 new-to-country students this academic year, leading to an $18 million funding gap. Amid these challenges, Denver Health, a pivotal health care provider, has offered a wide range of services to the community and provided unprecedented amounts of uncompensated care. Between October 1, 2022 and January 3, 2024, the hospital provided care to nearly 8,000 patients from Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Ecuador, totaling over 20,000 appointments.
Denver has dedicated significant resources to manage the migrant influx, including $8.1 million on hotel accommodations, $7 million in resettlement transportation costs, and nearly $17.2 million on staffing. As the City settles outstanding invoices, officials anticipate to incur an additional $14.3 million in expenses. To date, the City has received $4 million from an FY24 SSP award. Despite those funds, the City still anticipates a $120 million budget deficit for the year.
The City of Denver is not the only city in Colorado responding to this crisis. From Aurora to Carbondale, and many communities in between, local governments, and nonprofits are straining their budgets and resources to support newcomers.
The FEMA SSP funding is essential to support state and local government social service and nonprofit organizations that aid migrants. Without this support, Colorado communities will continue to face an immense financial burden.
We look forward to working with you and other Congressional leaders to fund the FEMA SSP at this level in FY 2025 to support Colorado entities and the communities, including migrants, they serve.