Common Sense Institute’s most recent statewide report featured an analysis of concerning underlying trends related to the state’s homeless population specifically in its chronically and unsheltered homeless populations.
The recently released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allows for an examination of trends in the annual homeless point-in-time population estimates. Of 50 regions, Metro Denver experienced a greater percentage increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness (46%) than just 4 other regions including Albuquerque, Fort Worth, Chicago, and Louisville. Metro Denver’s annual growth rate was nearly 4 times the U.S. average of 12%.
Metro Denver Concerning Trends Across Homeless Populations Stand Out Nationally
- Total homeless population – Between 2022-2023 10,054 individuals experiencing homelessness
- Fifth-highest percentage increase among major city Continuum of Care areas (46%)
- Third-highest increase in total number among major cities, eclipsed only by New York City and Los Angeles
- Fifth highest total number of people experiencing homelessness, 10,054
- Unsheltered population – Between 2020 and 2023, the Denver metro area saw an increase of 1,202 unsheltered people experiencing homelessness
- Sixth-highest among all 388 areas HUD tracks
- Chronically homeless population – 2,567 in 2023, the eighth-highest among the 388 areas HUD tracks.