Colorado’s First Annual
State of Homelessness Report 2024
Prepared in collaboration with Colorado’s four Continuums of Care, representing statewide homeless response and service providers.
Homelessness in Colorado is a complex and urgent challenge, shaped by the state’s unique geography, economy, and housing market. From stagnant wages to the rising cost of living, thousands of Coloradans lack a safe, stable place to call home. While visible, unsheltered homelessness has been a focal point in many communities, homelessness takes many forms—families living in motels, youth couch-surfing, and seniors on fixed incomes unable to find affordable housing.
This inaugural report provides meaningful insight into the current state of homelessness in Colorado, including who is experiencing homelessness, how communities are responding, and the solutions needed to end it. By bringing together multiple data sources and perspectives, it lays the groundwork for deeper collaboration, greater efficiency, and a united approach to homelessness data reporting across Colorado.
Behind every data point in this report is a person—a neighbor, a veteran, a parent, a young person—each with their own story, resilience, and hope for the future. Throughout this report, we have included quotes from individuals with lived expertise, recognizing that their voices are essential not only in illustrating personal experiences but also in shaping more effective, accountable, and person-centered solutions to homelessness.
The report combines data from Colorado’s Homeless Management Information System (COHMIS), Point-in-Time (PIT) counts, and Colorado’s Department of Education, providing a snapshot of homelessness in 2024 across the State and within each Continuum of Care (CoC).
A CoC is a local or regional planning body, mandated by Congress and designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which coordinates housing and services to help individuals and families experiencing homelessness move toward stable, permanent housing. There are four CoCs in Colorado:
Balance of State CoC covers 54 counties in rural, non-metro regions. The COHMIS Lead agency for Balance of State is the Division of Housing at the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.
Metro Denver CoC covers the 7-county metro region, including Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, & Jefferson counties. The COHMIS Lead agency for Metro Denver is the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI).
Northern Colorado CoC covers Larimer & Weld counties. The COHMIS Lead agency for Northern Colorado is Homeward Alliance.
Pikes Peak CoC covers El Paso County. The COHMIS Lead agency for Pikes Peak is Community Health Partnership (CHP)
Homeless service data is complex and requires nuanced interpretation. We highly recommend that you visit the Definitions page before analyzing the data available on these dashboards and ask that you please be respectful of the people they represent in our communities.
Do not use information from these dashboards in publications without first contacting the COHMIS Lead agencies to ensure you are interpreting the information correctly. You can contact the COHMIS Leads by submitting a ticket at our Helpdesk.
Table of Contents
Key Facts
The Scale of the Crisis: In 2024, over 52,000 people in Colorado needed help with housing. Each number is a real person with their own story—neighbors, veterans, parents, and young people. Homelessness affects every community in our state.
Health and Housing are Connected: More than half of people experiencing homelessness in Colorado have a health condition that makes daily life harder. Without a stable home, it's nearly impossible to stay healthy. Having a home makes it easier to get and stay well.
The Housing System Isn’t Working for Everyone: Colorado doesn't have enough affordable homes. To rent a two-bedroom apartment, someone would need to work 2.6 full-time jobs at minimum wage. When housing costs this much while wages stay low, many people can't keep a stable home.
Homelessness is Solvable When We Work Together: Colorado is the first state to partner with the Built for Zero movement, working toward a state where homelessness is rare and brief. This brings together housing groups, doctors, government, and local communities. They share data and focus on getting people into home. It’s working - 7% fewer veterans are homeless since last year. When we team up and focus on housing, we can solve homelessness in Colorado.
Homelessness in Colorado: 2024 Data and The People Behind the Numbers
Explore the data to uncover the complexities of homelessness in Colorado and the unique challenges faced by key subpopulations.
People Accessing Homelessness Services
People accessing housing or services related to homelessness at participating social services providers and government agencies are entered into Colorado’s Homeless Management Information System (COHMIS). COHMIS is the most comprehensive data source across the state for reporting on homelessness. This system collects information about individuals and families experiencing homelessness, as well as those at risk of homelessness, to track the services they receive. Each Continuum of Care (CoC) must use an HMIS software solution that meets HUD’s data collection and reporting standards, ensuring consistent and reliable data to address homelessness effectively.
In 2024, 52,806 people in Colorado sought housing and services related to homelessness through COHMIS partner agencies. These individuals and families represent a diverse range of experiences.
Among the individuals served:
15,843 people (30%) were chronically homeless, meaning they have experienced long-term, persistent homelessness—often due to a lack of access to healthcare, affordable housing, and supportive services.
3,417 people (6%) were veterans, reinforcing the urgent need for housing solutions and services that address the unique challenges veterans face when transitioning back to civilian life.
Of the 45,285 households seeking housing and services they could be classified as the following:
37,034 single adults (82%)
4,109 families (9%)
3,712 youth (8%)
This data provides an overview of the people seeking help, but it is just the surface. Homelessness is a deeply complex issue shaped by systemic barriers, personal hardships, and community conditions. To truly understand the full scope, we must dive deeper into the data, ask the right questions, and, most importantly, listen to the lived experiences of those directly impacted. The information below provides brief insights into some of the demographics in homelessness.
Demographics of Homelessness
RACIAL DISPARITIES
One statistically significant disparity that has remained consistent across data sources over time is the overrepresentation of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN), Black or African American, multiracial, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NH/PI) people experiencing homelessness.
To view racial and ethnicity disparities of each CoC, click the chart above.
The chart above, Racial and Ethnic Disparities: COHMIS vs Census Data, shows the breakdown of race and ethnicity groups within the general population (using census data) compared to the homeless population (using HMIS data). White people make up 65% of the general population yet only represent 41% of the homeless population - this is an underrepresentation. On the contrary, Black people represent 3.8% of the general population yet makeup over 15% of the homeless population - this is an overrepresentation. The same is true for AI/AN (.6% vs. 3.4%), NH/PI (0.2% vs. 1%), and multiracial (4.5% vs. 19.5%) groups when comparing census data to COHMIS.
Across urban, suburban, and rural communities, Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and multiracial residents experience homelessness at rates far higher than their representation in the overall population. This pattern remains constant year after year, across every region of the state.
Generations of exclusion from homeownership—through policies like redlining, discriminatory lending, and racial covenants—have led to lasting racial disparities in housing stability. Today, black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) households are more likely to face eviction, rental barriers, and wage gaps, making it harder to access and keep stable housing. These disparities are further compounded in rural areas, where limited housing stock and weaker tenant protections create additional challenges. In fast-growing cities, rising costs disproportionately impact BIPOC households, who are more likely to be severely cost-burdened, spending over half of their income on rent.
Addressing these inequities requires targeted action. Expanding access to homeownership, strengthening rental protections, and increasing rental assistance can help close racial disparities in housing stability. Investing in culturally responsive housing programs and ensuring BIPOC households have equitable access to affordable and attainable housing will create more lasting stability across Colorado.
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Families are a notable part of Colorado's homeless population, making up approximately 9% of households accessing homelessness related services. Parents and children face unique challenges—limited access to family-specific shelters, rising housing costs, and a lack of affordable childcare—all of which make securing stable housing even more difficult.
The impact of housing instability on children is profound. Experiencing homelessness as a child is linked to lower educational attainment, increased health issues, and long-term economic hardship. Yet, across Colorado, family shelters remain at capacity, and affordable rental options continue to shrink, leaving many families with nowhere to turn.
Addressing family homelessness requires targeted solutions, including rental assistance programs, expanded family shelter capacity, and access to supportive services like childcare and employment assistance. Investing in these solutions is not just about housing—it’s about ensuring every child in Colorado has a stable foundation to grow and thrive.
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Approximately 1 in 10 households accessing homeless services in Colorado is led by a young adult under 25, including both unaccompanied youth and parenting youth. Experiencing homelessness at a young age can have profound and lasting effects. Young adults navigating homelessness often face significant barriers to education, employment, and stability at a critical time in their development. Many have experienced family conflict, system involvement, or aging out of foster care, leaving them without a safety net.
Recent research from the University of Colorado, suggests that youth homelessness is significantly undercounted. A new study estimates that more than 42,000 youth and young adults (ages 14-24) experienced homelessness in Colorado—three to five times larger than previous estimates. A pilot study in Denver further illustrated these gaps, identifying 9,638 unique youth experiencing homelessness over five years. However, 91% of these youth were only counted in a single system—such as schools, shelters, or social services—rather than across multiple data sources. Another report found that an estimated 9% of Denver high school students had experienced homelessness—far exceeding official counts.
Without accurate data, the full scope of youth homelessness remains hidden, limiting access to critical housing and support services. Addressing this issue requires better data coordination, early intervention, and expanded housing opportunities, ensuring young people have the stability needed to pursue education, secure employment, and break the cycle of homelessness before it becomes lifelong.
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Veteran homelessness in Colorado decreased by 7% from 2023, reflecting the state’s continued commitment to ensuring those who served our country have a place to call home. This progress is the result of targeted funding, enhanced coordination between the VA and local partners, and data-driven strategies that prioritize getting veterans housed quickly and keeping them stably housed.
Programs like Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) have played a key role in reducing veteran homelessness by providing rental assistance or a voucher with wraparound support. Additionally, efforts like the Built for Zero framework have helped communities track veteran homelessness in real time, ensuring no one falls through the cracks.
While the decline is promising, the work is far from over. Sustained investment in affordable housing, long-term supportive services, and specialized housing for aging and veterans with disabilities is critical to maintaining this progress and preventing veterans from experiencing homelessness in the future. Colorado’s success shows that when we work together, ending homelessness is not just possible—it’s happening.
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As Coloradans live longer, ensuring stable housing for older adults is more important than ever. Across the state, 1 in 5 people accessing homeless services is over the age of 55, a number expected to rise as the state's population ages. According to Colorado Coalition for the Homeless’ “Older Adults & Homelessness Issue brief 2025”, between 2010 and 2020, the number of Coloradans aged 65 to 74 grew faster than any other age group, increasing the demand for affordable, age-appropriate housing.
At the same time, one in three Coloradans aged 65 and older struggles to afford rent, making them highly vulnerable to housing instability. The state also faces a severe shortage of affordable assisted living, long-term care, and nursing facilities, leaving many older adults without the support they need to remain housed.
Addressing this crisis requires expanding access to housing, healthcare, and supportive services designed for Colorado’s aging population. Without targeted action, more seniors will be at risk of losing their homes in the years to come.
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For many Coloradans experiencing homelessness, housing instability is compounded by serious health challenges. Approximately 1 in 2 people accessing homeless services in 2024 reported a disabling condition, making it even harder to find and maintain stable housing. These conditions—ranging from physical disabilities to mental health disorders, substance use challenges, and chronic illnesses—can significantly impact daily life and independence.
Long-term, persistent homelessness takes a devastating toll. People experiencing chronic homelessness— defined by HUD as those who have lived without stable housing for at least 12 consecutive months or experienced repeated episodes totaling 12 months or more over the past three years —face higher risks of premature death and frequent hospitalizations. Without stable housing, these conditions often worsen, leading to a cycle of crisis interventions, emergency room visits, and interactions with the justice system.
The solution is clear: Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) has been proven to break this cycle, offering stable, long-term housing paired with on-site support services. PSH improves health outcomes, reduces costly emergency responses, and provides people with the stability needed to rebuild their lives. Expanding access to these housing solutions is critical to ending chronic homelessness in Colorado.
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While the data presented highlights key subpopulations, many other people face a heightened risk of homelessness due to systemic barriers and historical inequities. Survivors of domestic violence, LGBTQ+ individuals, formerly incarcerated persons, Indigenous communities, and immigrant populations often encounter unique challenges that make stable housing harder to attain. Understanding and addressing the specific needs of these communities is essential to creating a truly inclusive and effective response to homelessness. Future statewide reports will explore these and other at-risk populations in greater detail, ensuring that data-driven solutions address the unique challenges they face in achieving housing stability
Homelessness on a Single Night
The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is an annual nationwide effort, mandated by HUD, to measure homelessness on a single night in January. Each Continuum of Care (CoC) coordinates this count locally, bringing together city and county agencies, homeless service providers, volunteers, and peer advisors to conduct the count. The PIT Count includes unsheltered homelessness (persons living in tents, cars, and other places not meant for human habitation) and sheltered homelessness (persons staying in emergency shelters, transitional housing, and safe havens). This data is collected via manually conducted PIT surveys as well as through data pulled from the Colorado Homeless Management Information System (COHMIS). This data is critical for communities applying for federal homelessness funding and shaping local solutions.
While the PIT Count provides a valuable snapshot of homelessness, it is only one piece of the broader effort to understand and address housing instability across Colorado.
On a single night in January 2024, 13,069 people experiencing homelessness were counted during Point in Time, 9,620 people were counted in shelters across Colorado. While 3,449 people were counted as unsheltered (excluding the Balance of State CoC as a 2024 unsheltered count was not completed). See additional information on each CoC’s PIT Count: Balance of State, Metro Denver, Northern Colorado, and Pikes Peak.
“I would say the vast majority of people experiencing homelessness right now didn’t ask to be homeless; they were put in that position. It was the worst time of my life but, it was a necessary struggle for my growth into the person I am now. I’ve experienced so much hate and violence on the streets, but it didn’t affect me so bad to be hateful and violent to other people. Actually, I think it made me more kind and helpful toward people. Homelessness taught me the power of empathy. It sharpens empathy in a way only that person can understand. I learned a lot being homeless, but I was one of the lucky ones who got the chance to get out of the streets. A lot of people, my age included, don’t get that opportunity.”
Students Experiencing Homelessness
The McKinney-Vento Act requires public schools to identify and support students who experience homelessness at any point during the school year. The U.S. Department of Education makes this data publicly available. However, the way homelessness is defined for students differs from how it’s defined by HUD. In addition to students who are unsheltered or in shelters, the Department of Education includes those staying with friends or family, or in motels due to financial hardship. The following data is from the 2023-2024 school year.
While there are key differences in methodology and timeframe, data from COHMIS, the PIT Count, and the McKinney-Vento Act each provide valuable insights into the state of homelessness in Colorado. Some increases observed in the data may be attributed to improvements in data collection and reporting across the state. However, one thing is certain: homelessness persists year after year. Without comprehensive prevention and intervention efforts at every level, this ongoing challenge will continue.
The Response: A Critical but Strained Safety Net
Colorado’s homeless response system is making critical strides. However, lasting solutions require broader systemic change, cross-sector collaboration, and sustained investment.
Colorado’s homeless response system plays a crucial role in ensuring that people experiencing homelessness can access emergency shelter, supportive services, and pathways to housing. However, while it is an essential part of addressing homelessness, it is not designed to solve the crisis alone. A comprehensive approach requires three key pillars:
Prevention – Addressing the root causes of homelessness, such as housing instability, low wages, and healthcare gaps, to stop homelessness before it starts.
Response – Providing immediate support through low-barrier shelter, outreach, and coordinated entry to quickly connect people to services and housing.
Resolution – Expanding access to affordable housing, rental assistance, and supportive services to ensure people exit homelessness and remain stably housed.
This section focuses on the response system pillar, which includes a network of government agencies, nonprofits, community groups, and private sector partners working together to provide:
Temporary Housing - Immediate access to shelter for individuals and families in crisis, along with short-term housing options that provide stability while people work toward a permanent solution.
Permanent Housing - Solutions like Permanent Supportive Housing and Rapid Rehousing that move people from homelessness to stability.
Supportive Services - Case management, employment support, and behavioral health services to help people regain stability.
Together, these components form the backbone of Colorado’s homeless response system, working to provide immediate support and long-term solutions. However, ensuring that resources are used efficiently requires a coordinated approach.
Coordinated Entry (CE) is a vital process within Colorado’s homeless response system. It ensures that limited housing and services are used efficiently by assessing, prioritizing, and connecting individuals to appropriate resources within each Continuum of Care (CoC). CE helps streamline access to shelter and housing, reducing barriers for those in need. Colorado's Coordinated Entry systems have seen significant improvements and refinements, increasing the ability for communities to efficiently and effectively collaborate to address homelessness.
Coordinated Entry helps streamline access to existing resources, but without an increased housing supply, it cannot meet the overwhelming demand. Therefore, sustained investment in permanent and temporary housing is crucial.
To learn more about Coordinated Entry and how it works in your community, visit HUD’s overview of CE and explore your local CoC: Metro Denver, Northern Colorado, Pikes Peak, or Balance of State.
According to HUD’s 2024 Housing Inventory Count (HIC), Colorado had 14,559 permanent housing beds—only enough to serve about a quarter of those experiencing homelessness. This represents a 7.5% increase from 2023, yet it still falls short of meeting the growing need. While the number of permanent housing options has grown, it has not kept pace with the demand, leaving thousands of people without a clear path to stability.
While housing is the ultimate solution, temporary shelter remains a critical resource for those in crisis. However, many communities face challenges beyond just bed availability. Existing shelter options are not always low-barrier or culturally responsive, leaving many people without viable alternatives. As a result, even when beds appear open on paper, they may not be accessible to those who need them most. These gaps contribute to ongoing unsheltered homelessness, reinforcing the need for more inclusive, flexible, and adequately resourced shelter options.
Expanding both temporary and permanent housing options is key to reducing homelessness. In 2024, the response system averaged approximately 5,000 new enrollments into COHMIS per month, with around 750 individuals being housed each month. As shown in the graph below, the number of new people coming into the system continues to exceed the number of people being housed. While there are additional factors contributing to both inflow and outflow, the ongoing gap between new entries and housing placements is a key driver of system-wide stability in 2024 rather than reduction. To truly reduce homelessness, we must expand both temporary and permanent housing options, ensuring there are enough resources to not only meet immediate needs but also provide long-term stability.
This data highlights a critical reality: Colorado’s homeless response system is working hard to house people, but without broader changes, it remains in a cycle of crisis management. While temporary and permanent housing programs help thousands transition out of homelessness every month, the demand continues to exceed capacity, and too many people remain unsheltered due to gaps in low-barrier and culturally responsive options.
Ending homelessness requires breaking the cycle of crisis response. Only through expanded housing options, improved emergency supports, and a stronger focus on prevention can every Coloradan have a stable place to call home.
Why Homelessness Happens: Structural Barriers & Economic Realities
Homelessness is driven by a severe shortage of affordable housing, wages that fail to keep up with the cost of living, and rising eviction rates—systemic issues that push more people into housing instability every year.
Homelessness is driven by systemic and economic forces, primarily the severe shortage of affordable housing, rising rents, and wages that have not kept pace with the cost of living. When housing costs outstrip incomes, more individuals and families face housing instability, eviction, and, ultimately, homelessness. The lack of sufficient rental assistance and affordable homeownership options further limits pathways to stability. While each person’s experience is unique, these structural barriers create conditions where homelessness is more likely to occur. Addressing these root causes is essential to preventing homelessness before it happens. The data below illustrates the key drivers behind homelessness in Colorado.
Low Supply of Affordable Housing
Housing is the solution to homelessness, yet maintaining stable housing in Colorado has become increasingly difficult due to rising costs and a severe housing shortage. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes 2024 report, Colorado is now the 6th least affordable state in the nation, facing a shortage of 134,281 affordable rental homes. Nearly 80% of extremely low-income renters are severely cost-burdened, spending more than half their income on housing. Without intervention, many of these individuals risk falling into homelessness.
Colorado’s Annual Report on Affordable Housing Preservation and Production highlights the scale of the crisis, noting that between July 2023 and June 2024, over 17,300 individuals sought homeless resolution or prevention services, including 11,371 with a disability likely qualifying for supportive housing. The report also notes a decline in affordable housing production, with 5,609 people, households, and units supported in 2023-24—a decrease of 1,643 from the previous year—due to rising costs and funding constraints. At the same time, the average subsidy per affordable housing unit rose by 191% from fiscal year 2021-22 to 2023-24, underscoring the financial challenges facing housing development.
To address these challenges, Colorado has introduced key funding programs such as the Affordable Housing Support Fund under Proposition 123, which requires jurisdictions to increase their affordable housing stock by 3% annually to access funds. Other initiatives, including the Colorado Housing Investment Fund (CHIF) and the National Housing Trust Fund (HTF), support rental housing for extremely low-income households. However, continued investment and policy innovation are needed to overcome rising construction costs and labor shortages, ensuring sustainable, long-term solutions to the state’s housing crisis.
“[We need] more funding to create affordable housing. We have gentrified poor neighborhoods and left many low-income and lower-middle-class citizens homeless. As we create more housing for the rich when they are only 2 percent of this nation. Nonetheless, a better housing market that helps specifically African Americans and doesn’t operate under the umbrella of minority.”
Rents are Too High, Wages are Too Low
Approximately 34% of households in Colorado are renters. Households who cannot afford to pay for housing are at risk of entering homelessness, and those who pay 50% or more of their income on rent are considered “severely housing cost burdened.” In 2023, 94,000 households in Colorado were living in poverty and severely housing cost burdened.
Out of Reach data indicates that Colorado has the 8th highest housing wage in the nation. A household working full-time would need to earn $37.47 per hour to afford a two-bedroom rental.
Low wages create barriers to affording our basic needs, and while the cost of living in Colorado has risen rapidly, wages have not. This has made it increasingly difficult for people to afford the housing available. This is how many hours per week someone making the $14.42 minimum wage would need to work to afford Fair Market housing:
104 Work Hours/Per Week to Afford a 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent (FMR) Rental
85 Work Hours/Per Week to Afford a 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent Rental
Affording a two-bedroom apartment at minimum wage requires the equivalent of 2.6 full-time jobs. This highlights the severe disconnect between wages and housing costs, demonstrating how employment alone does not guarantee housing stability.
In the visualization above, the columns represent the rent people can afford (30% of income) at different wages, and the dotted red lines represent the 2024 Fair Market Rent (FMR) for one and two-bedroom rentals in Colorado. Anyone relying on Social Security Income (SSI), earning minimum wage ($14.42), earning 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI), or earning the average renter wage ($25.66) is at risk of homelessness.
BIPOC Households Most Severely Housing Cost Burdened
Systemic policies, practices, and individual discrimination continue to prevent Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) from building wealth and achieving homeownership, with households of color far more likely to rent than white households. Renters of color also face higher housing cost burdens due to discriminatory rental practices, income disparities, and racialized rent exploitation.
Data from the National Alliance to End Homelessness' dashboard Renter and Severe Housing Cost Burden Racial Disparities highlights stark disparities in housing stability across racial groups in the U.S. BIPOC households are disproportionately affected by severe housing cost burdens—defined as spending more than 50% of income on housing.
Black and Hispanic households experience higher rates of severe housing cost burdens compared to white households. This financial strain often forces these households into doubled-up living arrangements, increasing their risk of housing instability and homelessness. These disparities are evident across various states, with some regions exhibiting more pronounced inequities.
These findings underscore the systemic barriers that BIPOC communities face in securing affordable and stable housing, emphasizing the need for targeted strategies to address these inequities.
Record-High Evictions
The "Eviction Legal Defense Fund Five-Year Evaluation" report, published in December 2024, provides insights into eviction trends and the impact of legal defense funding in Colorado from 2020 to 2024. Nonpayment of rent is the leading cause of eviction in Colorado.
Eviction Trends:
2023: There were 39,620 eviction filings reported in Colorado.
2024: Eviction filings rose to 47,613, an increase of 7,993 cases (approximately 20%) from 2023*.
[*2024 data sourced from the Colorado Courts dashboard, and Denver County Court records, as Denver’s data does not appear in the Colorado dashboard]
Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government distributed over $46 billion nationwide through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, providing direct rent assistance to eligible households impacted by the pandemic and facing eviction.
From those funds, Colorado received over $689 million, which was distributed to cities, counties, and the State. Since 2021, Colorado has assisted over 52,000 households facing eviction. The program also provided funding for housing stability services to maintain housing stability to those facing eviction.
Ongoing Eviction Prevention Support
In February 2025, following the completion of the federally funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program, Colorado started using Proposition 123 funds for ongoing Emergency Rental Assistance. For fiscal year 2025, the Division of Housing has $25.6 million allocated for rental assistance. This program continues helping renters facing eviction along with providing housing stability services. The program expects to serve over 2,700 households annually.
In 2023, the Division of Housing awarded over $14.6M in Transformational Homelessness Response grants for Eviction and Homeless prevention activities. These grants began in January 2024 and will support over 4,000 individuals through September 2026. Since these awards began over 2,550 people have already received assistance.
In 2024, the Division of Housing awarded over $1.5M was awarded for Homelessness Prevention activities through the Homelessness Resolution Program and Homeless Prevention Activities Program. These awards are made on an annual basis.
Additional eviction prevention resources like the Eviction Legal Defense Fund provides over $6.6 million in grants to Colorado organizations, serving over 16,000 individuals since 2020.
Addressing homelessness requires more than just managing its symptoms—it demands tackling the root causes that drive people into instability, such as the lack of affordable housing and systemic inequities. By understanding and addressing these foundational issues, we can create long-lasting solutions that prevent homelessness before it starts.
Homelessness is Solvable: Pathways to Solutions
By implementing best practices, fostering innovation, and embracing cross-sector collaboration, we can create a future where stable housing is accessible to all.
We can create a future where stable housing is accessible to all when we implement best practices, foster innovation, and embrace cross-sector collaboration.
While homelessness remains a complex challenge, innovative programs and initiatives across Colorado are making a meaningful impact. From rural areas to urban centers, communities are coming together to create new solutions and build on what’s proven to work.
By expanding access to stable housing, deepening partnerships with behavioral health providers, and implementing comprehensive supportive services, Colorado is driving measurable improvements in the lives of individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
This section highlights some of the successful programs, strategies, and collaborations happening across the state, offering hope and a roadmap for continued progress.
Data-Driven and Coordinated Efforts
Colorado is pioneering data-driven strategies that are transforming our approach to addressing homelessness and leading to tangible results. Colorado has become a national leader in statewide coordinated efforts to strengthen our ability to collect comprehensive data to coordinate efforts to address homelessness. When we invest in how we work together to collect and use data, we create a shared understanding of who needs support, whether our efforts are working, and how to best target resources.
Colorado’s four Continuums of Care use common assessment tools and administrative data to match individuals with housing resources that provide the appropriate level of care and afford the greatest potential for long-term success.
For example, Built for Zero Colorado’s focus on real-time, person-specific data empowers communities to maximize limited resources while also rapidly testing and implementing strategies to reduce the number of persons experiencing homelessness. This framework has been incorporated across Colorado’s homeless response systems, demonstrating significant strides.
A growing number of communities have achieved Functional Zero for veteran homelessness, including Fremont County in February of 2021 and Douglas County in November 2024. The Denver Metro area’s subregional, data-driven approach has helped them reduce veteran homelessness by 30% in four years. Through tracking person centered data, communities can assess progress, identify gaps, and effectively deploy resources.
While these advances are heartening, there are still significant infrastructure gaps in Colorado’s ability to fully capture and efficiently leverage this information to drive decision-making. Continued investment in data infrastructure and coordinated efforts are essential to building on this progress and ensuring that everyone in Colorado has a safe place to call home.
Investing in Evidence-Based Models like Supportive Housing
People experiencing homelessness often face serious health challenges and struggle to get the care they need. Supportive Housing is a proven solution, providing community-based affordable housing with access to intensive coordinated supportive services.
This approach is recognized as a best practice by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). It is essential in reducing the utilization of emergency services, addressing public safety concerns, and ensuring that homelessness is never inevitable, inescapable, or a way of life. When successfully implemented, Supportive Housing helps support the safety and stability of households that struggle to succeed in programs with preconditions, treatment requirements, or sobriety mandates.
Research, including a growing number of studies conducted in Colorado, show that this approach works, especially for those with the greatest needs. The Colorado Division of Housing’s Supportive Housing projects have a 94% housing stability rate demonstrated through the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).
The Urban Institute found that those residing in Supportive Housing through the Denver Social Impact Bond had a housing stability rate of 86% after one year. After three years, the rate was 77%. The initiative demonstrated that stable, Supportive Housing can decrease police interactions and arrests and disrupt the homelessness-jail cycle. Denver SIB participants experienced a 34% reduction in police contacts, 40% reduction in arrests, 30% reduction in unique jail stays, and a 27% reduction in total jail days.
Case Study: Colorado’s Statewide Supportive Housing Expansion (SWSHE) Project
The Statewide Supportive Housing Expansion (SWSHE) pilot, launched in 2022, leveraged American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) resources to expand Supportive Housing services across Colorado, including in rural areas where help is harder to find.
By combining state and federally funded vouchers with ARPA funding for supportive services, providers were able to help Medicaid members with complex needs get into and maintain Supportive Housing opportunities.
The SWSHE project also utilized healthcare data to inform the resource-matching process, helping ensure that individuals with serious mental illness, a history of homelessness, and repeat hospitalizations were prioritized for assistance.
SWSHE helped shape the design of Colorado’s Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) 1115 Waiver expansion. The SWSHE project also revealed challenges in accessing Medicaid funding for different types of providers and the continued need for better coordination between housing and healthcare systems.
Community-Specific Approaches
Addressing homelessness effectively requires understanding that each Colorado community is different. Levels of capacity, infrastructure, access to resources, and the unique local context—including demographics, geography, and economic factors—all vary and play a critical role in shaping effective homelessness response strategies.
What works in a rural area will differ from an urban center. Therefore, flexible, responsive, and community-specific approaches are essential. The following examples showcase successful and innovative strategies tailored to Colorado's diverse communities:
The Colorado Balance of State and Metro Denver CoCs were awarded the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP), which will help strengthen local efforts to address youth/young adult homelessness through targeted outreach, resources, and support systems. These grants will enable Colorado to develop innovative solutions, improve coordination across regions, and ultimately provide housing and services to vulnerable youth and young adults across the state.
Over the past twelve months, the Northern Colorado Continuum of Care has been convening a special Task Force dedicated to identifying coordinated entry system improvement strategies. After extensive review and analysis of peer-reviewed research, HMIS coordinated entry data, and expert feedback from coordinated entry partners, they have decided on three focus areas: 1) leveraging data patterns to optimize coordinated entry referral outcomes to housing resources, 2) overhauling training curriculum and onboarding practices to create more consistent and accurate assessment tool outcomes, and 3) adding conditional assessment tool questions to capture vulnerability of domestic violence survivors and households with chronic health conditions. These efforts represent the importance of utilizing a collective impact model approach to addressing complex system challenges.
In the Pikes Peak Region, a service provider has partnered with people with lived experience to form the Colorado Springs Homeless Union, a body that amplifies the voice of those served by the homelessness response system. The union hopes to begin collaborating with policymakers in local governments to create solutions that better satisfy the unhoused population's material needs for shelter, transportation, sanitation, and connection to resources.
In Metro Denver, the Continuum of Care has worked in close partnership with the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System (ECHCS) and local service providers to achieve a well-coordinated, regional response to Veteran homelessness. Together, they have implemented a shared by-name list, consistent housing policies, and case conferencing throughout the region to ensure every Veteran experiencing homelessness is known and actively supported toward housing. These collaborative efforts recently led to one community reaching functional zero for Veteran homelessness, with several others making steady progress. This work demonstrates the power of strong partnerships, data-driven strategies, and a unified commitment to serving those who have served.
In Southwest Colorado, community members have come together to form multiple improvement teams focused on enhancing outreach, coordinated entry, and regional coalition building to better serve the area’s needs. By prioritizing relationship-building, consistency, and capacity development, these teams aim to empower local leaders and strengthen regional collaboration to address homelessness and other critical issues.
A Call To Action: Creating Lasting Solutions
Homelessness ends with a home. Every part of the homelessness response system—from street outreach to emergency shelter—must stay focused on connecting people to permanent housing as quickly as possible. Housing is not the last step—it is the first building block to lasting stability and opportunity.
Without cross-sector collaboration and greater investment in long-term solutions like affordable housing development and upstream prevention, the response system will remain in a cycle of crisis management.
Solving homelessness in Colorado requires bold action and sustained investment across sectors. To make homelessness rare and brief we must commit to the following:
Accelerate affordable housing development – Expand investments in deeply affordable rental housing and supportive housing to meet the needs of low-income Coloradans.
Strengthen homelessness prevention – Increase and target funding for eviction and homelessness prevention, rental assistance, and tenant protections to keep people housed. Ensure program models are tailored to meet the diverse needs of Coloradans, particularly those most vulnerable, and are designed to complement and enhance the broader homelessness response network.
Ensure emergency shelter is accessible and effective – Expand low-barrier shelter options that provide connections to permanent housing, case management, and supportive services.
Elevate lived expertise in decision-making – People who have experienced homelessness are critical partners in shaping effective solutions. Future strategies must institutionalize compensated advisory roles for individuals with lived expertise to ensure that people with lived experience participate in all levels of decision making to improve system effectiveness.
Enhance data-driven decision-making - Dedicate specific resources to strengthen the homeless response system’s ability to collect and analyze real-time data will drive policy decisions, target resources, and implement strategies to reduce homelessness.
Build bridges across key systems – Strengthen partnerships between housing, healthcare, behavioral health, criminal justice, education, employment services, and community-based partners to create a coordinated, holistic response ensuring no one falls through the cracks.
Colorado has made progress, but the scale of homelessness demands systemic solutions. By working together—across government, business, philanthropy, and the community—we can create a future where everyone has a safe, stable place to call home.
Together we can end homelessness.