Relevant because we just had the architect and primary player of Denver's Road Home project here in Nashville speaking about how great his program was doing in Denver.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009, 2:28pm MDT | Modified: Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 12:28am
Study finds more homeless in Denver area than 2 years ago
Denver Business Journal - by Mark Harden
A closely followed census estimated there were 11,061 homeless people in the Denver area on Jan. 27, up 4.3 percent from the total reported in a similar survey two years ago.
Of the total, 60.2 percent — 6,659 people — were in the city of Denver, according to the study released Tuesday by the Metropolitan Denver Homeless Initiative.
The MDHI’s “Homelessness Point In Time” series offers what is generally considered the most reliable estimate of the homeless population of the metro area available. It is based on a single-day tally of the homeless population as well as data from shelters, support agencies and other information sources.
The last such study said there were 10,604 homeless people on Jan. 29, 2007, in metro Denver.
Tuesday's report was the first homeless census since the onset of the latest recession. Local agencies had been reporting progress in recent years in battling homelessness, but their efforts have been hampered by rapidly rising unemployment, foreclosures and other factors during the nation's severe economic downturn.
MDHI said that precise comparisons of the latest report to previous studies are “challenging” because this is the first time the report relied on a new computerized data-collection system used by various service providers, and certain methodology has changed.
For the study, volunteers fanned out across the region on Jan. 27 and interviewed homeless people in emergency shelters, motels, day labor sites, food banks, churches and human service organizations.
Other key findings of the new MDHI report:
• 45 percent of those surveyed on Jan. 27 said they were homeless for the first time, including 101 people who said they had spent the previous night at their own home but were without a home on the day of the census.
• 27 percent of the total were children.
• 47 percent were couples or families with children, usually with a single parent.
• 35 percent said they were homeless because of a job loss.
• 30 percent were involved in alcohol or drug abuse.
• 60 families were homeless because of a foreclosure.
• 13 percent of homeless adults were military veterans.
• 58 percent were male; 42 percent were female.
• 62 percent were white, 27 percent were black, and 31 percent were classified as Hispanic of any race.
Click here to download the latest “Homelessness Point in Time” study in PDF format.
Of the total, 60.2 percent — 6,659 people — were in the city of Denver, according to the study released Tuesday by the Metropolitan Denver Homeless Initiative.
The MDHI’s “Homelessness Point In Time” series offers what is generally considered the most reliable estimate of the homeless population of the metro area available. It is based on a single-day tally of the homeless population as well as data from shelters, support agencies and other information sources.
The last such study said there were 10,604 homeless people on Jan. 29, 2007, in metro Denver.
Tuesday's report was the first homeless census since the onset of the latest recession. Local agencies had been reporting progress in recent years in battling homelessness, but their efforts have been hampered by rapidly rising unemployment, foreclosures and other factors during the nation's severe economic downturn.
MDHI said that precise comparisons of the latest report to previous studies are “challenging” because this is the first time the report relied on a new computerized data-collection system used by various service providers, and certain methodology has changed.
For the study, volunteers fanned out across the region on Jan. 27 and interviewed homeless people in emergency shelters, motels, day labor sites, food banks, churches and human service organizations.
Other key findings of the new MDHI report:
• 45 percent of those surveyed on Jan. 27 said they were homeless for the first time, including 101 people who said they had spent the previous night at their own home but were without a home on the day of the census.
• 27 percent of the total were children.
• 47 percent were couples or families with children, usually with a single parent.
• 35 percent said they were homeless because of a job loss.
• 30 percent were involved in alcohol or drug abuse.
• 60 families were homeless because of a foreclosure.
• 13 percent of homeless adults were military veterans.
• 58 percent were male; 42 percent were female.
• 62 percent were white, 27 percent were black, and 31 percent were classified as Hispanic of any race.
Click here to download the latest “Homelessness Point in Time” study in PDF format.
mharden@bizjournals.com
