Despite the increase in homelessness in the city, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration defended its strategy and insisted that its “success” mirrors cities like Houston, Texas.
A mayor’s spokesperson insisted that Denver saw one of the largest reductions in “unsheltered” homelessness nationwide, and its gains are on par with Houston — widely regarded as a national leader in tackling homelessness — over the course of six months, the time between when Johnston took office and the point in time count conducted in January.
“The argument that our strategy isn’t working is factually wrong,” spokesperson Jordan Fuja said. “All In Mile High started in July of 2023 and the bulk of move-ins happened in December… Houston’s strategy and Denver’s strategy are markedly different due to the stark differences in cost of living, available housing, and general space.”
For a city with limited space and available housing, Denver, she said, found a way to “mirror Houston’s success.”
Denver, which is on track to spend nearly $155 million on the mayor’s homelessness campaign, saw its total number of homeless people balloon from 5,818 last year to 6,539 this year. And the city saw only 150 fewer “unsheltered” homeless people when compared to last year’s count — data that puzzled one councilmember and led another to accuse the Johnston administration of having a “spend first, ask questions later mindset.”