Homelessness is a growing, complex, and difficult issue.
According to the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, in the last five years, the Denver areas’ homeless population increased about 15 percent, from 3,631 in 2016 to 4,171 in 2020.
MDHI’s 2020 report shows that 31,207 individuals accessed services or housing supports related to homelessness between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.
Every way you look at it, it is a problem that reaches far beyond the “tent cities” that neighborhoods have come to dread.
Solutions to homelessness require caring, community-wide investment and proven, state-of-the-art intervention approaches that involve the entire community.
The Homeless Services Navigation Center in Englewood will assess people who are homeless, match them with mentors and services, and track data as they are able to get into supportive housing and stabilize their lives. Not only is aiding unhoused people the compassionate thing to do: it makes sense in both human and economic terms.
Homelessness: Terrible for Children
Extensive research shows that children who are homeless (whether living in short-term apartments, sleeping in crowded housing with relatives, sleeping in cars or on the street) fall behind in school work and have high failure and drop-out rates. They are far more likely than housed children to get into trouble with gangs and drugs, and become an expensive problem for the justice system. The loss of human potential is appalling.
On January 27, 2020, there were 1,446 homeless families counted in the Denver metro area. Of the families counted, the vast majority had from one to three children. Thirty percent said that due to homeless-related issues, their children had not been in school regularly. High school graduation rates for homeless teens were only 55.5 percent.
- State of Homelessness 2020 Report, Metro Denver Homeless Initiative
In 2020, the Colorado Department of Education identified 12,870 school-aged children in Colorado experiencing homelessness, plus 454 children from 0-5 years experiencing homelessness.
- Colorado Department of Education, 2020
Homelessness: Bad for Business
Businesses need well-educated, skilled workers. Children who have been raised in homeless situations are unlikely to be these workers of the future. In addition, businesses don’t want homeless people camping on their properties, using their restroom facilities, etc. Homelessness has a direct cost for businesses.
“Healthcare, like most other industries, is always seeking out top talent. For the business sector we should be concerned about homelessness in our children as they are the talent of the future. If they are falling behind in larger numbers and not ready to enter the workforce, where will that talent come from? The talent shortages are already persistent in Healthcare, and growing homelessness will have more impact on that.”
- Jillyan McKinney, Chief Executive Officer, Littleton Adventist Hospital, 2021
Like many other hospitals, Swedish Hospital has many people sleeping and living on their campus and the hospital would benefit by helping those experiencing homelessness to find housing.
- Jillyan McKinney, Chief Executive Officer, Littleton Adventist Hospital, 2021
Homelessness: Bad for Healthcare
Homeless people are likely to be uninsured and to fail to access preventive health services. As a result, when they are injured or fall ill, they are likely to need more intensive and expensive treatment and care. Hospitals are finding that they must keep homeless people longer (often far longer) in their facilities because there is nowhere to discharge them. This takes up needed beds and adds to medical costs for the entire community.
Almost 33% of all visits to the emergency department are by chronically homeless people. They visit the emergency department an average of five times a year, each visit costing $37,000. On average they spend three nights in the hospital, which can cost more than $9,000.
- American Health and Drug Benefits, Jan.-Feb. 2021, The Business Case for Ending Homelessness: Having a Home Improves Health, Reduces Health Care and Costs, by Daniel G. Garrett
Homelessness: Bad for Public Facilities, Cities and Counties
Homeless people are costly for cities and counties, who have to clean up homeless “camps,” and provide law enforcement and mental health services when problems arise. Public recreation facilities are impacted by homeless people using their showers and restrooms. Public libraries are faced with homeless people sleeping during the day in their facilities and at night on their grounds.
Homeless camp sweeps in Denver alone cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2020. Thirty sweeps in 2020 cost $400,00 for police and public works.
- The Denver Post, Jan. 19, 2021, Denver’s Homeless sweep cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, invoices show
Cleanup of encampments near the Colorado Capitol will cost tens of thousands of dollars. State cost will be at least $137,825 on top of $70,000 for environmental cleanup and graffiti removal and $16,059 to fence the area.
- 9News, Aug. 7, 2020
Homelessness: Bad for Neighborhoods
No one wants unregulated homeless “camps” in their neighborhoods, with attending trash, rats, etc. “Camps” can affect adjacent property values, cause headaches for homeowners, and have the potential to spread disease.
“Not only do illegal camps destroy peace and security of an adjacent neighborhood. Those who doubt this should heed the testimony of nearby residents. In a particularly poignant case, a woman living in the 1300 block of Pearl Street recently told a Colorado Sun reporter the nigh-time screams and yelling from a homeless camp outside her window left her ‘shaking with fear.’ The block is strewn with clothing and spoiled food. . . and there are syringes and foil with the remnants of heroin or meth. Urine-filled bottles [are] just outside the tents.”
- The Denver Post, Feb. 14, 2021, In Denver, Compassion rather than chaos for homeless, by Vincent Carroll