Homeless Court

The tent city of homeless people that springs up most nights on the steamy grates beside Denver's City and County Building served as more than just a place for Nicholas Tucker to beat freezing temperatures.

The grates were a nightly reminder to the 27-year-old that he couldn't afford to miss another court date for his minor drug-related arrests.

"Every night for a month I've been sleeping on the grates so I would remember to be there on time," said Tucker, a Littleton High School dropout. "I have a long problem with not being places on time."

Tucker was scheduled to appear on March 2 in Homeless Court, an experiment the city has been running as part of an effort to do away with homelessness in Denver within a decade.

Since it began in July 2005, 46 people have gone through the Homeless Court process - far fewer than hoped - taking advantage of a chance to clear up their records.

Denver Post