Denver unveils $250M plan to tackle rising homelessness

Oct 03, 2022

Mahmoud Bennett Social Media Producer

By Mahmoud Bennett (Social Media Producer), Mohammed Ali

Denver has unveiled a $250 million plan to re-house hundreds of people and create more affordable homes as part of a 2023 action plan to combat homelessness.

The city’s Department of Housing Stability detailed its latest five-year strategy to end the housing crisis. It includes creating 1,700 affordable homes, expanding pathways to homeownership, implementing encampment decommissioning strategies, investing in hotel options, serving more than 8,000 households with housing stability programs and serving more than 2,500 households experiencing homelessness in rehousing and supportive housing programs.

To finance the project, the agency will rely on funding from several sources, including Denver’s General Fund, the Affordable Housing Fund, the Homelessness Resolution Fund, federal grants, and time-limited COVID-19 response and recovery funds.

This plan will be Denver’s seventh homelessness plan in 17 years. The city has seen its homeless population increase by 12.8% since 2020, according to Metro Denver Homeless Initiative’s initial annual point-in-time count data.

The state of Colorado as a whole has also seen a spike in homelessness. The state’s chronically sheltered homeless population grew by 266% between 2007 and 2021, more than any other state, a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development shows.

Official state data attributes the issue to a lack of affordable housing, stating that housing costs are higher than income. About 76% of the state’s housing was affordable to households making their county’s median income. By 2020, only 51% of homes were affordable for middle earners, based on an affordability report from the Colorado Futures Center.

This latest multi-million dollar plan is intended to go into effect next year. Benjamin Dunning, an organizer for Denver Homeless Out Loud told local news outlet KUSA-TV that he is skeptical that the city’s latest strategy will solve the housing crisis. Dunning stated, “If they meet their current goals, homelessness and the cost of housing is going to continue to increase – and the situation is going to get worse because the need is so great.”

According to KUSA, Denver’s chief housing officer acknowledged it is not enough “until everyone is housed” and said the city won’t rest until that happens.

Tags: Colorado, Homelessness

MAHMOUD BENNETT:

THE CITY OF DENVER IS ONE OF THE MANY METROPOLITAN AREAS IN THE U.S. FACING A HOMELESSNESS CRISIS

BUT IT’S JUST THE NEXT TO TRY AND SOLVE IT – OFFICIALS UNVEILING A 250 MILLION DOLLAR PLAN TO ADDRESS THE CITY’S 13% UPTICK IN HOMELESSNESS SINCE 2020

THE EFFORT WILL SET UP 1,700 AFFORDABLE HOMES, REHOUSE 2,500 PEOPLE AND OFFER HOUSING STABILITY PROGRAMS

*BUT IT’S DENVER’S SEVENTH HOMELESSNESS PLAN SINCE 2005*

AND THE STATE OF COLORADO AS A WHOLE? WELL IT’S SEEN A BIGGER JUMP IN ITS CHRONICALLY SHELTERED HOMELESS POPULATION THAN ANY OTHER STATE JUMPING 266% FROM 2007 TO 2021

STATE OFFICIALS SAY THE LEADING CAUSES FOR THIS UPTICK ARE HOUSING COSTS THAT ARE HIGHER THAN INCOME

IN 2015 76% OF THE STATE’S HOUSING WAS AFFORDABLE TO HOUSEHOLDS MAKING THEIR COUNTY’S MEDIAN INCOME. BY 2020, ONLY 51% OF HOMES WERE AFFORDABLE FOR MIDDLE EARNERS.

THERE’S ALSO DATA THE STATE DOESN’T COLLECT: COLORADO BECAME THE UNOFFICIAL WEED CAPITAL OF THE U.S. BACK IN 2014 –

FOLLOWING LEGALIZATION SHELTERS REPORTED AN INCREASE IN PEOPLE MOVING THERE TO SEEK ITS LEGAL MARIJUANA ONLY TO END UP HOMELESS – THAT’S ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

AND WHILE SOME EVIDENCE COINCIDED WITH THAT DATA EXPERTS SAY THE CRISIS IS A COMBINATION OF FACTORS

THIS LATEST MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR PLAN IS INTENDED TO GO INTO EFFECT NEXT YEAR –