The number of homeless families in metro Denver spiked last year by more than 134%, even as Mayor Mike Johnston pushed to reduce homelessness, according to an annual report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

All told, the number of homeless individuals grew by roughly 2,200 — an increase of more than 40%.  

Since taking office in July 2023, Johnston’s administration has spent $155 million to address homelessness — $65 million more than Johnston previously said it would cost.

Released last month, the federal agency’s report found more than 770,000 individuals across the nation were homeless in 2024, representing an 18% year-over-year increase.

Natural disasters, such as the Maui fire, and cities struggling with a high-cost rental market increased homelessness, the report said. 

Each year, the agency releases its homelessness assessment report to Congress, which provides a snapshot of the number of people living in shelters, temporary housing and the “unsheltered,” a category that applies to individuals who sleeps in public spaces, such as parks, under bridges or in cars.   

HUD defines homelessness as “a person who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” That definition includes individuals who sleep in vehicles or tents but not those who “couch surf.” Broadly speaking, couch surfing — also known as “doubling up” — refers to individuals who temporarily stay with friends or family. This is often called “hidden homelessness” because it is not captured in these or other counts.

“No American should face homelessness, and the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring every family has access to the affordable, safe, and quality housing they deserve,” HUD Agency Head Adrianne Todman said in a statement. “While this data is nearly a year old, and no longer reflects the situation we are seeing, it is critical that we focus on evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness.”

Among the report’s takeaways:

• Colorado’s year-over-year homeless rate climbed 30% from 14,439 in 2023 to 18,715 in 2024.

• In metro Denver, the city’s homeless count increased by 4,227 people, or 42%.

• Homelessness among Colorado families and those younger than 18 skyrocketed, with both groups more than doubling year-over-year from 2023 to 2024. Specifically, the number of homeless families grew by 134% — from 747 in 2023 to 1,750 in 2024

• Nationally, family homelessness rose by 39%. Those states hit particularly hard were also affected by domestic migration, which more than doubled in 13 communities.

• Homelessness among veterans nationally dropped to 32,882 — a record low.

The federal homeless count took place in January of last year, the peak of the immigration crisis that hammered Denver, where officials scrambled to house the hundreds arriving each day and thousands staying at shelters. Johnston was sworn into office several months before the count. By the time the count was conducted, Johnston was touting his plan to get 1,000 homeless out of the city’s streets by the end of 2023 as a success.  

Tackling homelessness has been a costly endeavor.

According to a report by the Common Sense Institute, Colorado has spent nearly $2 billion, largely concentrated in the Denver metro region, over three years to address homelessness.

The report also noted that some communities pointed to the rise in homelessness at local efforts to shelter the surge in immigrants who have arrived in the region after illegally crossing the border.

Chicago, Denver and New York City were among the cities hardest hit with an influx of immigrants from South and Central America, particularly Venezuela.

More than seven million Venezuelans have fled the country under President Nicolás Maduro’s rule, seeking refuge in countries around the globe, including nearly 43,000 in Denver since December of 2022.

Early in the humanitarian crisis, Denver leaders decided city taxpayers would pick up the tab. While the city has received state and federal reimbursements, the mounting costs have hit more than $80 million total over the past two years, said Jon Ewing, spokesperson for Denver’s Department of Human Services, which coordinated the city’s response.

Denver leaders had adopted a very welcoming stance to these immigrants until the city saw its shelters swell to more than 5,000 last winter.

Initially, the prevailing theory in Denver was its draw was because of the city’s proximity to El Paso Texas, its pivotal transportation hub and its status as a “sanctuary city.”

In the early days of the surge at the U.S. border with Mexico, very few immigrants were going to Denver.

Immigrants typically chose gateway cities, such as Chicago and New York City. But after a busload of about 100 immigrants were dropped off downtown to wander in the cold two years ago, officials at the border began seeing Denver as a destination.

City officials scrambled to set up emergency shelters for the immigrants, about half of whom were sent to Denver by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott via buses that targeted so-called “sanctuary cities” in Democratic strongholds.

A sanctuary city designation is given to municipalities and counties with policies that prevent or discourage local law enforcement from reporting an individual’s immigration status to federal authorities.

Denver’s willingness to respond to the crisis, which includes free food, shelter and onward transportation, might have also — inadvertently — contributed to it.

“There’s a pull factor created by this, and the policies in Denver for paying for onward destinations,” Irene Gutiérrez, executive director of El Paso County Community Services in west Texas, has said.

The federal homeless count took place roughly six months after Johnston took office. Johnston won office promising, among other things, to end the city’s homeless crisis in his first term.

Denver’s proposed spending for the Department of Housing Stability is $226.3 million for 2025, which includes funding earmarked for Johnston’s homelessness initiative.

Denver — which has adopted a “housing-first” approach that prioritizes stable housing — plans to spend $57.5 million to combat homelessness next year.

Johnston has made homelessness a cornerstone of his administration. Since taking office in July 2023, the city has moved nearly 2,000 homeless people from the streets and into transitional housing.

Johnston has called his program a success. His campaign, he said in his report released Monday, has had “a transformative impact on the City of Denver, including the largest reduction in street homelessness on record and an 83% reduction in family street homelessness.”