The community outcry from some about new immigrants to the Denver Metro Area is reaching a fever pitch. Community-led groups in Lakewood and Wheat Ridge are coming together to say their communities should not be welcoming new immigrants into their borders and not using municipal funds to provide needed supports. The City of Denver is shouldering the full weight of welcoming and providing for new immigrants to the area.
Since homes started to pop up on the western shores of Sloan’s Lake, Edgewater has always been a place where immigrants to the United States can start their journey to the American Dream. Our new neighbors from Venezuela and other Central and South American countries are following a well-worn pathway to calling the Edgewater community home.
New immigrants already call Edgewater home
Recent immigrants from Venezuela and other Central and South American countries already have found places to rent in our Edgewater community. Since the late fall, they have been enrolling their children at Edgewater Elementary, Lumberg Elementary, and Jefferson Junior/Senior High School. These three schools are perfect places for students new to the United States to find friends and teachers who speak their language. All three of these schools have classes, programs, teachers, and staff who speak Spanish and are bicultural.
Schools need extra support
School budgets are determined before the school year begins, which means that a large number of students enrolling in a school after the start of a school year can mean strained resources to support students, teachers, and staff. School budgets in Jeffco Public Schools are already tight, so supporting the needs of new immigrant students takes additional financial investments in our schools. The influx of new immigrant students has left Denver Public Schools short 17.5 million dollars of needed funding. Our Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education needs to discuss the additional staffing and financial resources that are needed at schools like those in Edgewater that have seen an increase in new immigrant students.
Families need bridge funding until they receive work permits
There is a process for new immigrants that qualify to obtain a work permit, but this process can take months. Nonprofit partners are helping immigrants find housing and pay their first month rent, but how do new residents find funds to pay their rent and other living expenses until they obtain their work permit?
How can Edgewater respond?
How should a small community like Edgewater, that shares a border with the City of Denver, respond to this crisis? We don’t have any hotels that can be used to house immigrants. We don’t have a large city budget like our neighbors. As of yet we haven’t seen community meetings like those in Lakewood and Wheat Ridge.
Through my role working with our Latino communities over the last ten plus years with Edgewater Collective, I believe our Edgewater community can shine the light of hope and support to those who are already calling our community home.
Here’s how you can help:
- 5280 has put together a great list of the best ways to help new immigrants to the Denver area.
- At Edgewater Collective, we are working with school staff from our three Edgewater schools to support new immigrant students and families. We’ve started a fund that provides financial support to families while they wait on their work permits. We are also listening to school staff on other tangible ways that we can support new immigrant students and families.
Click here to donate to support newcomer families to Edgewater
Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.
Legal migrants