By Veronica Acosta | Denver7
DENVER — For nearly two years, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration has been working to find solutions to the city’s homelessness crisis.
According to the 2024 Point-in-Time Count, the number of families living on the street dropped last year. However, data from the Department of Housing Stability (HOST) shows the overall number of families experiencing homelessness has increased by 150% since 2022.
During a presentation to the city’s Safety, Housing, Education, and Homelessness Committee, Jeff Kositsky, the deputy director for HOST, said the family shelter waitlist increased 78% in the past year. He attributed the increase in families experiencing homelessness to a rise in eviction filings, a growing number of unhoused newcomers, and a “deterioration of the social safety net,” which includes Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
“We’re in a situation now in this country where only one in five families who are below the poverty level are receiving any kind of housing assistance, and that ultimately leads to children sleeping on the streets or sleeping in shelters,” Kositsky said. “This has become a growing problem in the past few years, not just in Denver but around the U.S.”
Kositsky described the problem as “incredibly heartbreaking and concerning.”