Nearly 53,000 Coloradans looked for assistance related to housing instability last year, a number higher than typically estimated. That’s the topline finding from a new first-of-its-kind report on homelessness in Colorado that seeks to offer a more comprehensive view of the issue than the one-night-a-year surveys often used to count the unhoused population.
Those “point in time” surveys are conducted over the course of one night, typically in January, where volunteers attempt to manually count the unhoused sleeping outside, in cars or local shelters. The counts are mandated by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development in order to qualify for certain funds. They’re intended to be snapshots and while officials acknowledge they are incomplete, the surveys still often end up serving as the best available shorthand reference throughout the year.
Authors of the inaugural 2024 State of Homelessness Report argue their data is not meant to replace point-in-time surveys, but augment them. Jason Johnson, Director of the Metro Denver Homelessness Initiative, said the full data compiled for the report shows “an obviously much higher, but much more realistic number of folks who are struggling to maintain a stable level of housing across our state.”
For example, point-in-time surveys conducted throughout the state in January 2024 counted a total unhoused population of 13,069. The new report includes that data, along with figures on childhood homelessness from the Colorado Department of Education as well as from the state’s Homelessness Management Information System, which was established in 2018. The COHMIS data records individuals accessing shelter or other services related to homelessness at participating providers and government agencies statewide.
By far, the largest share of the 52,806 people who sought homeless services was in Metro Denver at 65%. Emergency shelters were the most used service, with 30,603 people using them statewide. The gender divide of those seeking services was notable, at nearly 62% male. The state’s Black, Indigenous and People of Color community made up almost 55% of those seeking services, despite making up less than 44% of the population.
During a Tuesday press conference, leaders of those service organizations said the report does not advocate for particular political solutions to homelessness.
“It really is to highlight the data, show the scale of need,” Johnson said. “We’re hoping that this can be a component that helps communities understand what they need to develop.”
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