Now here’s an idea
we hope catches fire.
Aurora, Colorado’s
third largest city, recently announced how it will use $1.5 million generated
from a tax on recreational pot to supporting homeless people, the Aurora
Sentinel reported. The city first made the announcement in September, and has
now designated a number of groups to receive the funds.
The Colfax Community Network, a nonprofit that supports families living in motels, will
receive $200,000 from the special fund, according to the Sentinel. Council
members said they’re going to evaluate the group’s progress before committing
to renewing the funds beyond the first year.
Council members
also agreed to provide two groups — Comitis Crisis Center and Aurora Mental
Health – with vans to be used for homeless outreach. Each van will cost between
$30,000 and $44,000.
City officials
forecasted that recreational marijuana sales would bring in $5.4 million, the
Denver Post reported.
In addition to
allocating $1.5 million to helping homeless people, about $680,000 will be set aside for city nonprofits. And $2 million will be used to issue bonds to build
a new recreation center in southeast Aurora.
“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,” Bob
Roth, city councilman, told the Post.
Aurora isn’t alone
in considering how to use pot to help alleviating homelessness.
In March, Los Angeles proposed a number of measures to fund housing for homeless people. One
of those suggestions included a tax on pot.
It would pass up
to a 15 percent tax on pot sales and cultivation, which is estimated to bring
in $16.7 million annually. And if marijuana is eventually legalized for
recreational use, the levy would bring in “significantly more” funds, the
report noted.
The money generated would be used for
permanent supportive housing, and supportive services, such as mobile showers,
vouchers and outreach.
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