What Colorado is doing for the homless with its weed money

Eleanor Goldberg of the Huffington Post reports, 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.

Tax money from the sale of pot has even been allocated to go to the homeless, not just sit back and hope they come for assistance.

According to Goldberg, “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.

Aurora is using the tax revenue from this wonderful herb for many positive things in the city.

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 the only city trying to help the homeless with tax revenue from pot sales.

In March, Los Angeles proposed a number of measures to fund housing for homeless people. One of those suggestions included a tax on pot.