Annual Point in Time Count Shows Increase in Homelessness in Denver Metro and a Decrease in El Paso County

September 12, 2024

Results from the 2024 Colorado Point in Time (PIT) counts show an overall increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness along the Northern Front Range and a decrease in the number of people experiencing homelessness in El Paso County. Additionally, a greater percentage of those experiencing homelessness in 2024 reside in sheltered environments versus unsheltered environments as compared to 2023’s results.

In this article, we will explore 2024’s results from the Point in Time Count and explore how the work of two RMHS programs provide supports and services for those impacted.

What is the Point in Time (PIT) Survey?

The Point in Time (PIT) count is an annual survey that provides a snapshot of homelessness nationwide on a single night. Required by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, the PIT Count must be conducted in the final ten days of January and requires extensive collaboration between agencies that support those experiencing homelessness across the country.

This survey helps communities gather critical data on the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, including those living on the streets or in shelters. This information is essential for raising public awareness, increasing community collaboration, and allocating resources to better address homelessness.

That said, Deidre Knight, the Associate Director for the Homes for all Veterans (HAV) program points out, “The important thing to remember is that the Point in Time count is a snapshot of one single night, with volunteers counting to the best of their abilities. Often, this number is off from the ‘real’ number of people experiencing homelessness.”

Denver Metro sees ten percent increase in people experiencing homelessness.

The count for the Denver Metro area, which includes Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties, occurred between sundown on Jan. 22 and sundown on Jan. 23. This survey was conducted by the Metro Denver Homelessness Initiative (MDHI) and released on Aug. 14, 2024.

In total, 9,977 people were counted as experiencing homelessness in the Denver Metro area, a ten percent increase from last year’s PIT count. More than six thousand people, or 65 percent, of those counted were in the City and County of Denver.

However, based on the Homelessness Management Information System, which is used by scores of nonprofits and government agencies, MDHI estimates the real number of people experiencing homelessness in the area is closer to 30,000.

RMHS programs like Mission Supports, which supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) experiencing housing instability access a variety of wraparound services, have experienced this significant increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in the Denver area firsthand.

“Our workload has increased tremendously and the amount of people we serve at any given time is triple what it was last year at this time,” shared Arnie Swenson, the Associate Director of Mission Supports.

A rise in the usage of shelters and temporary housing across Denver Metro.

Of people counted, 2,919 people, or 29.2 percent were unsheltered, meaning they slept in places unfit for human habitation such as vehicles, abandoned buildings, or on the streets. The rest of the population experiencing homelessness was sheltered, meaning they spent the night in temporary housing, emergency shelters, or safe havens.

Knight from HAV explained the significance of this uptick in shelter usage, “Shelters and transitional housing resources have been utilized more, which always means more access to services for everyone. Our HAV outreach staff go to shelters directly to connect with veterans and enroll them in services. Staying in a shelter also helps people stay out of the elements and can reduce medical needs such as hypothermia.”

Percentagewise, the number of people experiencing homelessness in unsheltered settings throughout the City and County of Denver saw a steep decline of 11 percent overall. Families experiencing unsheltered homelessness saw an 83 percent decrease in the city and county, which suggests a degree of success from Mayor Mike Johnston’s efforts to tackle Denver’s homelessness crisis head-on by creating shelters in hotels and micro-communities through his House1000 push.

It’s important to note that the 4,300 newcomers staying in temporary Denver shelters on the night of the PIT count were not included in these numbers. According to MDHI, that is because they wanted to get the most accurate information about homelessness in the area.

However, there remains massive overlap in the supports and services that the Denver area homeless population and the more transient newcomer population require. In the three months leading up to the PIT count, more than 12,000 newcomers arrived in Denver, many of whom sought services including temporary shelter.

The number of families experiencing homelessness increased substantially, rising from 2,101 last year to 3,136 in 2024, which indicates the expanding effect of the affordable housing crisis in Denver.

A recent Denver Post article emphasizes the sheer number of people affected by this with the headline: “Denver will shatter last year’s record number of evictions as crisis outstrips available rental assistance money.” In the article, it states that there were already 9,000 eviction filings in Denver by mid-August, a 32 percent increase from this time last year.

The Mission Supports program at RMHS has noted a significant rise in the number of children and youth it serves as part of this increase in families experiencing homelessness. Mission Supports’ Swenson said, “25 percent the participants served by Mission Supports are under 18 with a family involved with them.”

Swenson also pointed out that Denver County desperately requires additional transitional housing, which can greatly benefit an individual with I/DD who may be experiencing housing instability and going through the process of getting connected to helpful assistance and resources.

“I can tell you that motels, shelters, and couch surfing increase the stress levels and risk of exploitation or physical abuse [of individuals with disabilities] and make it more difficult establish active disability benefits and permanent housing opportunities,” he explained.

El Paso County’s PIT results show decrease in people experiencing homelessness.

The count for El Paso County, the most populous county in Colorado and includes the city of Colorado Springs, also occurred in late January but yielded vastly different results than its neighbor to the north.

Fewer overall people are experiencing homelessness in El Paso County compared to 2023 with an overall 12 percent decrease in homelessness. The count included 1,146 individuals in the 2024 survey and of those, 259 were considered unsheltered, which is a 31 percent decrease in number of people experiencing homelessness without shelter as compared to the previous year.

The rest were counted in emergency or transitional shelters throughout the region.

However, El Paso County, like Denver County, also saw an increase in the number of families experiencing homelessness with a 12% increase since 2023, indicating the widespread nature of the affordable housing crisis.

Additionally, this count included 89 veterans, which is 26 fewer than the year prior. This decline in the number of veterans experiencing homelessness is in line with trends that HAV staff have tracked, which demonstrates an overall decline in veteran homelessness.

“Homeless service providers have come together over the last 10 years to all work together to house people and we continue to house more and more people every year. We have been able to consistently house people in a short timeframe compared to the national average. A veteran who enters RMHS’ Homes for All Veterans program can, on average, get housed within 60 days (compared to the National Average of over 110 days),” explained HAV’s Knight.

The Pikes Peak Continuum of Care (PPoC), a collection of agencies that work to find solutions to homelessness, conducted its survey on the night of Sunday, January 21.

About Mission Supports and Homes for All Veterans.

Missions Supports is a longstanding Denver resource that joined RMHS about a year ago. It supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) who are experiencing housing instability. It supports individuals in securing their I/DD determination and benefits as well as supports in accessing other wraparound services available through RMHS so they can secure a future away from homelessness. To learn more, visit their website at www.rmhumanservices.org/departments/mission-supports or email missionsupports@rmhumanservices.org.

The Homes for All Veterans program works throughout Colorado to support veterans and their families who are homeless or are at-risking of becoming homeless find permanent housing, accessible healthcare, and legal counsel. The HAV team has supported hundreds of veterans and their families find or keep housing.

“Overall, we actually have consistently been lowering the number of veterans experiencing homelessness for the past several years, according to our Veteran By Name List.  HAV’s priority remains the same through all years: to end veteran homelessness.  In the next year, we are pushing to house people faster and keep them housed longer so that no one is returning to homelessness.”

For more information about HAV, visit their website at www.rmhumanservies.org/departments/homes-for-all-veterans or send an email to HAVreferrals@rmhumanservices.org.

As Knight succinctly put it, “Homelessness is solvable and RMHS is happy to be an active part of the solution.”