Behind the Mayor’s Celebrated Reduction, Critics Point to Enforcement, not Housing
Advocates are calling out Denver Mayor Mike Johnston over his claimed progress at reducing homelessness.
Over the last year, Denver has gained the attention of national media over its claim that the city reduced unsheltered homelessness by 64% through a program called All In Mile High. The program was part of a roughly $5 billion federal initiative launched under the Biden administration to address unsheltered homelessness in 12 cities nationwide.
Denver spent nearly $220 million in federal funds to acquire and convert old hotels into temporary shelters and rapid rehousing units. The city has claimed those efforts were the crux of its success in reducing street homelessness. Still, advocates with Housekeys Action Network Denver say there is more going on behind the scenes that calls the city’s claimed success into question…