DENVER, CO - A report by the free-enterprise Common Sense Institute (CSI) shared data showing that the state of Colorado has seen the fourth highest percentage increase in homelessness in the United States since 2020.
The report, as noted by the Center Square, also called into question most of the state's "housing first" approach, saying that it "may not be the best approach to addressing this challenge." According to the report, Colorado's homeless population increased by 90 percent since 2020, ranking behind only Vermont (212%), Illinois (148%), and Rhode Island (121%). The report also stated that Colorado's 3.14 homeless per 1,000 residents ranks ninth nationally.
CSI noted that in the combined Denver-Boulder-Aurora area, $405 million in local, state, federal, and nonprofit funding was spent in 2023 to combat homelessness. Denver had a record-high 9,977 unhoused individuals in 2024. Of those, 2,233 individuals participated in Denver's "housing first" All in Mile High Program, which cost $69,413 per person and an additional $16 million on those who became unsheltered after leaving the program.
Dustin Zvonek, CSI's research fellow on homelessness and former Aurora City Council member said, "This report makes clear that homelessness is growing fastest in cities most reliant on housing-first strategies. We need to step back and look at the broader data, ask what's working, what's not, and focus on implementing policies that deliver measurable, sustained improvements."
The think tank also contrasted Denver's "housing first" approach with El Paso County's (Colorado Springs) and Aurora's "work first" approach. In El Paso County, the point-in-time count for 2024 was 1,146 homeless individuals, 12 percent less than the prior year.
Zvonek added, "Communities like Colorado Springs are showing real results with work-first models grounded in accountability and recovery. It's time to apply those lessons where the crisis is growing most rapidly." Other cities that take a "housing first" approach include Los Angeles, which saw a 39 percent increase in homeless individuals since 2020; San Francisco with a nine percent increase, and Portland, Oregon, with a 70 percent increase.
CSI's report concluded by saying, "Housing first policies have not reduced the number of homeless individuals in many of the cities practicing them, though they have moved many people from unsheltered spaces to sheltered spaces. Because results have not been demonstrated, federal agencies and other public leaders must loosen funding so that it can be used to support approaches that prioritize self-sufficiency."
According to OregonLive, new data released by Multnomah County officials in the state of Oregon show that as of February, 14,824 people living in the county were homeless. Of those, 6,796 people were living outside, in a vehicle, or in some other place considered unfit for human habitation.
That number is more than double the homeless population recorded in the federally mandated point-in-time count conducted in January 2023, and it is an increase of nearly 3,000 people over more granular estimates from the county in January 2024. The new data makes it clear that homelessness is increasing every month in Multnomah County, even as leaders in recent years have sheltered and housed more people than years prior.
The report, as noted by the Center Square, also called into question most of the state's "housing first" approach, saying that it "may not be the best approach to addressing this challenge." According to the report, Colorado's homeless population increased by 90 percent since 2020, ranking behind only Vermont (212%), Illinois (148%), and Rhode Island (121%). The report also stated that Colorado's 3.14 homeless per 1,000 residents ranks ninth nationally.
CSI noted that in the combined Denver-Boulder-Aurora area, $405 million in local, state, federal, and nonprofit funding was spent in 2023 to combat homelessness. Denver had a record-high 9,977 unhoused individuals in 2024. Of those, 2,233 individuals participated in Denver's "housing first" All in Mile High Program, which cost $69,413 per person and an additional $16 million on those who became unsheltered after leaving the program.
Dustin Zvonek, CSI's research fellow on homelessness and former Aurora City Council member said, "This report makes clear that homelessness is growing fastest in cities most reliant on housing-first strategies. We need to step back and look at the broader data, ask what's working, what's not, and focus on implementing policies that deliver measurable, sustained improvements."
The think tank also contrasted Denver's "housing first" approach with El Paso County's (Colorado Springs) and Aurora's "work first" approach. In El Paso County, the point-in-time count for 2024 was 1,146 homeless individuals, 12 percent less than the prior year.
Zvonek added, "Communities like Colorado Springs are showing real results with work-first models grounded in accountability and recovery. It's time to apply those lessons where the crisis is growing most rapidly." Other cities that take a "housing first" approach include Los Angeles, which saw a 39 percent increase in homeless individuals since 2020; San Francisco with a nine percent increase, and Portland, Oregon, with a 70 percent increase.
CSI's report concluded by saying, "Housing first policies have not reduced the number of homeless individuals in many of the cities practicing them, though they have moved many people from unsheltered spaces to sheltered spaces. Because results have not been demonstrated, federal agencies and other public leaders must loosen funding so that it can be used to support approaches that prioritize self-sufficiency."
According to OregonLive, new data released by Multnomah County officials in the state of Oregon show that as of February, 14,824 people living in the county were homeless. Of those, 6,796 people were living outside, in a vehicle, or in some other place considered unfit for human habitation.
That number is more than double the homeless population recorded in the federally mandated point-in-time count conducted in January 2023, and it is an increase of nearly 3,000 people over more granular estimates from the county in January 2024. The new data makes it clear that homelessness is increasing every month in Multnomah County, even as leaders in recent years have sheltered and housed more people than years prior.
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments