Cannabis Taxes Help The Homeless Of Colorado

Since legalising cannabis in 2014, the authorities in Colorado have raked in millions of dollars in taxes. Now they’re putting the money to good use.

One Denver suburb is using money made from cannabis sales to fund a local nonprofit organisation that helps homeless families stay off the streets. The city of Aurora is allocating millions in marijuana tax money to help homeless and low-income families get back on their feet.

The city council in Aurora agreed to give $220,000 to the Colfax Community Network, a community organisation that educates low-income families on how to utilise local services, and provides them with food, clothes, and other essentials. Councilwoman Sally Mounier told the Aurora Sentinel that the nonprofit organisation needed immediate funding. Many of the motels inhabited by low-income families are in Mounier’s ward.

The $220,000 earmarked for Colfax Community Network is only a fraction of the $4.5 million the city of Aurora is expected to gain from marijuana sales tax revenue over the next two years, according to the Sentinel. “We wanted to be able to show citizens that we are having a positive impact on the community and point to specific projects or initiatives to where that money is going to,” said Aurora City Councilman Bob Roth.

More decisions about what to do with the remaining millions are underway. So far, the city council also allocated funding to buy vans for local mental health organisations to aid in homeless outreach, and to make the Aurora Housing Authority’s landlord coordinator a full-time position—an important step in facilitating relationships between landlords and homeless people seeking housing. The council is also considering funding a “day center” where the homeless can shower, do laundry, and access mental health services.