State of homelessness in Denver: Full shelters, surge in older adults

Denver crews sweep a homeless encampment.Photo byDenver Homeless Out Loud

On the night in January 2024 when volunteers counted people experiencing homelessness in Denver, no shelter beds were available for individuals or families, according to data provided by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. More than 2,500 individuals and 181 families slept outside, the data showed.

These numbers debunk claims that shelter space always is available for people living outdoors. This is not true, although Denver’s recent acquisition of several hotels means ballrooms could quickly be converted into emergency shelters.

The Point in Time count tallied 10,054 people experiencing homelessness in Denver, or 31 out of every 10,000 people. Homelessness dropped in 2013 in Denver and remained flat until about 2022, when it spiked again, according to the Alliance data.

From 2007 to 2023, homelessness in metro Denver grew by 16%. Sheltered homelessness increased 41% while unsheltered homelessness declined 21%. These statistics are reflective of Mayor Mike Johnston’s House1000 effort to move 1,000 people indoors by the end of 2023.

Dallas, Denver decommission encampments

The National Alliance to End Homelessness recently presented its State of Homelessness webinar. During the presentation, homeless services workers from Dallas, Chattanooga, Tenn. and Santa Cruz, Calif. shared methods of resolving homelessness that have worked for them.

All said improvements in the coordinated entry of getting people housed is critical to success. Much like Denver, Dallas embarked on an “encampment resolution” process whereby camps were closed one at a time. Case workers would spend several months before the encampment was swept working with inhabitants to find them permanent housing.

Sarah Kahn with the Dallas non-profit Housing Forward explained the city initially moved people from encampments into hotels, like Denver. But officials soon realized such shelter is temporary and permanent housing must be found to reduce homelessness. They began a “street-to-lease” campaign that shuffles people experiencing homelessness directly from encampments into leased apartments. Kahn said the city saved a great deal of money on hotel costs.

Key facts

The Alliance’s State of Homelessness report analyzes data on homelessness for 2023 and over time. The report found:

“Response systems work effectively. The homeless response system continues to add more temporary and permanent beds each year. It increasingly serves more people but needs more resources to combat the nationwide affordable housing crisis.

“Record high homeless counts. A record-high 653,104 people nationwide experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2023. This is more than a 12.1 percent increase over the previous year.

“More people than ever are experiencing homelessness for the first time. From 2019-2023, the number of people who entered emergency shelter for the first time increased more than 23 percent.¹

“Record high numbers of people living unsheltered, especially among individuals. In 2023, a record high 256,610 people, or 39.3 percent of all people experiencing homelessness, were unsheltered. More than 50 percent of individuals experiencing homelessness were unsheltered.

“Severe housing cost burden on the rise. The number of renter households paying more than 50 percent of their income on rent increased dramatically, rising over 12.6 percent between 2015 to 2022. People who identify as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, Asian or ‘Some Other Race’ are more greatly impacted.

“Backward movement. After years of declines due to targeted assistance, the numbers of veterans and chronically homeless individuals experiencing homelessness are both rising again, with a 7 percent and 12 percent increase, respectively, since the previous year.”

Homelessness growing among older adults

The report also stated that the number of older adults experiencing homelessness in the U.S. is rapidly growing. This mirrors Denver data.

Dr. Jamie Rife, former executive director of the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, made a presentation last year to the Safety, Housing, Education and Homelessness Committee of the Denver City Council. Rife said she heard from a colleague of a 98-year-old woman entering the shelter system for the first time.

"That's just a population in which we are seeing tremendous growth," Rife said of senior women.

According to the Alliance report, 2023 was the first year in which HUD reported detailed age categories. The data showed 20% of all people experiencing homelessness were older than 55, totaling 127,707 older adults who experienced homelessness in the U.S. Thirteen of every 10,000 older adults in the U.S. experienced homelessness, according to the report.

City Council member Stacie Gilmore said assisting seniors needs to be more of a focus in Denver. Rife agreed. “On a fixed income, you can’t afford to live here. And they're also being pushed further and further away from medical care, support systems, and I think that is just one of the challenges we are facing."

Gilmore told the story of an elderly woman in Green Valley Ranch. Her rent recently skyrocketed to $1,700 for a one-bedroom apartment but she only gets $1,300 per month from Social Security. She relies on food banks, Gilmore said.

The woman is receiving some rental assistance, but still is struggling, according to Gilmore. She said her situation is “tenuous at best.” Gilmore said people in her district increasingly are becoming homeless as houses are foreclosed upon in Green Valley Ranch.