DENVER ( KDVR ) — A count of people in homeless shelters, temporary housing or on the streets in Colorado indicates homelessness in the state has increased by 30% in 2024.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development late last month released the findings of the January 2024 point-in-time count , which indicated an 18% increase across the country. HUD officials said the count likely does not reflect the current homelessness situation due to policy and condition changes throughout the year.
The Metro Denver Homelessness Initiative in August had already released the metro Denver findings of the point-in-time count, which indicated a record-high amount of homelessness in the Denver area .
In Colorado, according to the full findings, over 4,000 more people were counted in 2024 than 2023, with the total number of people experiencing either sheltered or unsheltered homelessness at 18,715.
One of the starkest increases was among people in families: a 134% increase from 2023.