Homeless campers evade detection on rooftops

For a while when I was homeless in Denver from 2018 to 2020, I camped with a veteran named Willy. Willy could make a camp hidden from view. When I camped with him, we were under a railroad bridge that cross the South Platte River. He put up dry wall and camouflaged it to enclose our little spot.

One day a man with an axe came crashing though the dry wall. He had some choice names for Willy and me. I couldn’t manage staying there after that. But Willy had a plan.

One day he asked me if I would have any problem camping on the roof of an abandoned building. “People never look up,” he said. “Nobody ever will see us.” And being out of view always was Willy’s top priority. And why shouldn’t it be? Urban camping is illegal in Denver and most major cities. Eventually, if spotted, you’ll be asked to move along.

But camping on a roof? I wouldn’t do it, even though it did make a certain degree of sense. To me it was akin to squatting, which is another thing I never did while experiencing homelessness. But it sure would keep you out of the line of fire of other homeless people, who can be dangerous and unpredictable.

Sgt. Jay Casillas of the Denver Fire Department said he has heard about people camping on rootops in Denver but it is is not a frequent occurrence. "If a person is found on a roof for the purposes of finding a space to live because they are experiencing homelessness, the are offered resources," Casillas wrote in an email. "They may also be cited or arrested for trespassing."

Capt. Luis Cedillo of the Denver Fire Department said in an email that homeless people more commonly are found under bridges and in parks, alleys and abandoned structures. The Denver City Council recently has been discussing ways of monitoring the city's negelected and derelict buildings, where such activity may occur.

Rooftop camping in Tucson, Ariz.

Living on roofs is not an unheard-of phenomenon. It happened in Tucson, Ariz. back in 2007, according to Tucson.com. “In recent months, dozens of homeless people — no one yet has a handle on how many — have taken to the rooftops, taking them off the street, out of sight and perhaps a little more out of harm's way,” the website reported. “But in the process, they're subjecting the aging rooftops to damage, and the owners to concerns about such things as liability, theft, vandalism and repair costs.”

The article quoted some people experiencing homelessness who said sleeping on the roof is too risky. A person could fall and hurt themselves, they said. In the Tucson.com article, the author checked out downtown rooftops for evidence of camping. “A small number of blankets, piles of garbage and empty beer bottles dotted the rooftops.”

The article did not explain how the trend of sleeping on rooftops began in downtown Tucson, where one would expect rooftops to be extremely hot. But as cities push homeless people out of sight, they’re bound to come up with some creative solutions. They’re just trying to survive.

Frat house roof proves dangerous

On social media, people experiencing homelessness discuss the pros and cons of rooftop camping. “If you’re in a town and could get access to a closed stores roof, wouldn't that be a good safe place to sleep for night,” asked Jomodojo on the “Vagabond” subreddit. “If you’re out of sight of anyone on the ground and gone early no one would ever know, right?”

One man responded that he slept drunk on a frat house roof one night and it didn’t turn out well. Said another: “A lot of people do this in Europe. There are nearly always external fixed ladders after the first story so with a bit of climbing skill you can reach them quite easily.”

Be mindful of the weather, warned another. “I have done it a few times I think for the most part just make sure it’s not going to rain. I’ve never had a bad run in with anyone.”

Pros, cons, of roosting on the roof

On the “homeless” subreddit, a poster advised, “Perhaps some of the safest spots to sleep are rooftops. Getting to a rooftop, however, poses many dangers on its own. I've been able to climb to roof by climbing nearby trees or with (a) grappling hook I've made (also from tree branches and rope). I've slept on (a) roof in a tent. Then once morning starts, I leave. For me this has kept me away from the dangerous population, as those types never think of scaling walls.”

I’m not sure of that. I’ve seen some disturbed individuals on the street with incredible strength and a fear of nothing. Scaling walls would not be a problem for many of them. I, on the other hand, would not think of climbing atop a roof. I probably would break my neck.