By Kyla Pearce and Noah Festenstein | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS
An annual count of Denver’s homeless population will include immigrants who crossed America’s southern border and ended up in the city’s shelters, potentially increasing the number by a significant amount.
The annual point-in-time count, which offers a snapshot of the country’s homeless population on a single night, is taking place across Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties from sundown to sundown between Jan. 22 and Jan. 23.
Last year’s count put the number of homeless people at more than 9,000, but a different tracking system said the figure is closer to 30,000 throughout the year, leading many to believe that the annual point of time count is limited.
Kyla Moe, deputy director of Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, said the annual count does not ask people’s immigration status.