Arapahoe County officials touted a year of progress for infrastructure, housing affordability and homelessness reduction at the State of the County event Tuesday morning.

That’s despite overall homelessness rising in the county.

Over the last year, Arapahoe County leaders saw a reduction in unsheltered homeless people, invested more than $1.5 million in nonprofit programs, completed more than $10 million in road safety projects, launched the 18th Judicial District and made progress in affordable housing development, commissioners said Tuesday.

This year’s annual Point-in-Time count, which takes a snapshot of homelessness on a single night in January, showed the overall number of homeless people increased 19% from 725 to 864, but the number of unsheltered people declined 35%, from 314 to 205. There was also a decrease in new homelessness and there were no unsheltered homeless families.

Despite the overall numbers of homeless people going up, commissioners said the declines in the numbers of new and unsheltered homeless people and homeless families is “significant progress.”

They pointed to the new Bridge House Ready to Work facility in Englewood, Sage Ridge in Watkins, providing transitional housing, and the county’s investments in rental assistance as reasons for the progress.

County officials bolstered affordable housing options over the last year, approving two partnerships to preserve and create 168 affordable units at Reserve at South Creek in Dove Valley and build 147 new affordable apartments for families in Aurora.

In the last year, county officials updated the land development code to include new incentives for affordable housing developers, new zoning districts for flexible residential development, and more housing types, including modular homes, tiny homes and transitional housing.

The county also invested in infrastructure over the last year, improving Arapahoe Road, Dry Creek Road and Inverness Drive West. More than $10 million was put toward safety improvements on roads and trails, including buffered bike lanes, multi-use paths, lighting, drainage improvements and new roundabouts, commissioners said.

The county invested $21.5 million in forming its own judicial district, separating the 18th Judicial District from Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties.

As more domestic violence cases go to Arapahoe County from Aurora, whose municipal court no longer handles such cases, the new structure helps the 18th Judicial District prioritize victim support and increased caseload, commissioners said.

Aurora Municipal Court stopped handling domestic violence cases on July 1, 2025, handing them off to Adams and Arapahoe counties instead.

The Arapahoe County Detention Center got new kitchen, laundry and other upgrades last year as part of a $46.6 million project to modernize and expand, officials added, saying investments made in the court and detention center are major public safety wins.

Other significant projects the county undertook this past year included creating a master plan for the new Bijou Basin Open Space south of Byers, replacing high-water turf with drought-resistant bermudagrass to reduce water use, and launching a Community Health Improvement Plan expanding partnerships to connect veterans with food assistance and health care.

Arapahoe County’s population is expected to grow by 55,000 residents, or about 8%, by 2034, Commissioner Jessica Campbell said.

As the county grows, there is still a lot of work to do for affordable housing and other challenges, Campbell said.

“Every story we shared this morning comes down to people,” Commissioner Leslie Summey said. “We are proud of the work of this county, the elected officials, the staff, and the partners who show up every day to make Arapahoe County work for the people who call it home.”