Is Homelessness a problem in Colorado?   

On Monday night, January 29th, 2007 there were an estimated 15,394 homeless men, women, and children in Colorado.

Colorado Statewide Homeless Count, January 2007

On the evening of January 29th, 2007 the Colorado Inter-agency Council on Homelessness (CICH), along with hundreds of volunteers from all 64 Colorado counties, conducted the Colorado Statewide Homeless Count, January 2007, “a point-in-time” study of homeless persons in Colorado. 

CICH defines homelessness as follows:  An individual is considered homeless if he or she is:

• Sleeping in places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, or abandoned or condemned buildings.

• Spending the night in an emergency shelter

• Spending a short time (30 consecutive days or less) in a hospital or other institution, but ordinarily sleeping in the types of places mentioned above

• Living in transitional/supportive housing but having come from streets or emergency shelters

• Staying temporarily with family or friends while looking for a permanent place to live

• Staying temporarily in a hotel/motel paid for by other/vouchers and/or while looking for shelter or housing

• Being evicted within a week from a private dwelling unit and having no subsequent residence identified and lacking the resources and support networks needed to obtain access to housing

• Being discharged from an institution and having no subsequent residence identified and lacking the resources and support networks needed to obtain access to housing

Colorado’s poverty rate has risen steadily since the late 1990’s, according to recent U.S. Census data.  In 1998, Colorado’s poverty rate was 8.5 percent; by 2005, the poverty rate had increased to 10.4 percent.   The increase in interest rates (which has sent foreclosure rates in the state to an all-time high), the lack of both new and existing affordable housing, rising energy and fuel costs, high home/rent costs, and either flat or declining wages create severe cost burdens for many of Colorado’s households.

Is Homelessness a problem in the US?

In the United States, approximately 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year.  The number of homeless families with children has increased significantly over the past ten years, and is one of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population.