On a Positive Note SONDRA JEFFRIES DENVER VOICE VENDOR THERE WAS A TIME WHEN, for a short stint, I was homeless. My oldest son was young and was staying with my mom. I did what I had to do to get out of that situation, which meant moving to Kansas. Years later, when my youngest son, Wesley, was 5, we came back to Colorado for a visit. I wanted to show him just how good we have it by taking him to hand out pizza to the homeless. We met an old man, who was a United States veteran. He was resting under a bridge. He was so pleased by the pizza, but even more pleased when he looked up and saw an adorable little boy handing it to him. We chatted for a long time. He said he was homeless by choice, and that systemic norms were not his style. He talked about how the world gives him everything he needs. He discussed, in children’s terms, what freedom may mean—comparing it to being able to just open a fridge and choose what to eat, while he had just received a whole pizza. He asked about my life. He said I seemed stressed. I may have been. I studied his feet for a long time—the cracks and how black they were. When I got home, I drew a picture from memory, the best I could, and wrote a poem based on our conversation. De-Feet (my poem about the man) I saw a man lying in the street today, His feet were black, his hair was grey. He had the keenest smile I had ever seen, He seemed so peaceful, his posture so serene. As we talked, he told me of a life — A life of bondage, a life of strife. He said, “I was a prisoner of war, Locked up in my own mind, But they could not capture my thoughts; They were placed neatly undefined.” He said, “See, to you, freedom may mean opening your icebox and choosing what to eat. To me, it means lying here at night on this street. Do I own this street? No, but I have the option to lay. I have the stars as a nightlight and free energy in the day. I have plenty of time to pray and think; Someday this life as we know it will be gone in a blink.” Then he looked at me and said, “You seem very stressed, how do you do?” Then he asked me to propose that question to you. PUZZLES 7 PUZZLES COURTESY OF STREET WISE 1 5 6 3 5 9 8 4 1 4 5 4 7 9 4 Current Status of Homelessness in the Denver Metro Area THIS MONTH, I want to focus more specifically on what new data tell us about homelessness in the Denver metro area. This analysis is based primarily on the results of the 2006 Point in Time survey (PIT) and how they compare with the comparable report from January 2025. Once again, here’s a summary of DONALD BURNES VICE PRESIDENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS DENVER VOICE the major points in this survey. THE METRO AREA Although there were substantial reductions in many areas for which we should be very grateful, there are many more people still suffering from the ravages of homelessness. Our work is far from being done. It is important to remember that these numbers are based on a single-point-in-time survey conducted in late January each year. This year, according to the PIT, there were 9,950 people experiencing homelessness (PEH) across the Denver metro, a drop of about 8% from the previous year, including a 12.5% reduction in Denver. In addition, as Metro Denver Homelessness Initiative (MDHI) Executive Director Jason Johnson explained in a news release about the PIT, there was a 21% drop in the number of unsheltered individuals across the metro area last year. In comparison to 2024, people experiencing chronic homelessness, which is defined as having a disability and being unhoused for at least a year or having four episodes within a 12-month period, increased by 4.6%, and they constituted just about one-third of the total PEH population, according to the full-year Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS) report. Finally, almost half of the metro PEH had some success in housing, but more than half, some 18,300 people, felt no positive impact on their housing situation. While there is a reduction in overall homelessness and in the number of unsheltered PEH, there is a disturbing increase in people experiencing chronic homelessness. In addition, more than half of the total PEH population did not experience any housing improvement. Although we are making progress in responding to this crisis, we are falling well short of a fully successful conclusion to this tragedy. INDIVIDUAL COUNTIES IN THE METRO REGION Within the metro area, there are eight different jurisdictions that report separate PIT data. In terms of overall numbers of PEH, Denver leads the way in the reduction of numbers by decreasing its total of PEH by almost 1,000 people between the 2025 and 2026 PIT surveys, a 12.5% decrease. The previous year, Denver experienced a 18.9% increase over the 2024 count. In contrast, Aurora documented an increase of almost 33%. In addition, the percentage of unsheltered people decreased in four counties, including Denver and Aurora. In summary, the 8% reduction in overall homelessness across the region, the 12.5% reduction in Denver’s homelessness count, and Aurora’s 33% increase in homelessness were particularly noteworthy. Clearly, Aurora has a long way to go before showing any improvement. CONCLUSION In the MDHI news release announcing the 2026 PIT data, Johnson stated, “An 8% decrease across our region is a powerful indicator that our shift toward a truly coordinated, data-driven system is yielding results.” Cole Chandler, the recently appointed executive director of the Housing Stability Department in Denver (HOST), added, “Our strategies are working. Homelessness is down across Denver for the first time in nearly 10 years.” Overall, I agree with Johnson and Chandler. Having said that, we cannot, must not rest on our laurels. Although many of the area’s PEH are at least sheltered, we still have too many people who are still counted among those experiencing homelessness. We may have put our finger in the proverbial dike, but we are far from rebuilding the entire dam. There are still too many people in our communities and across the state, as well as nationally, who have negative attitudes towards those in our midst without safe and secure housing. Too many people in housing still regard “them” as somehow undeserving. We must change that; we must change the narrative. Our brothers and sisters need our support; they need adequate, safe, affordable, and accessible housing along with wraparound services that many require. It is up to all of us to ensure that happens. Donald Burnes has co-authored four books on poverty and homelessness, and has studied poverty and homelessness-related issues and policies for more than 40 years. Burnes joined the Denver VOICE board of directors in June of 2025. He received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, a master’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis, and a PhD from Columbia University Teachers’ College. 2 7 3 1 4 9 2 5 8 7 8 6 9 3 1 9 DENVER VOICE AUGUST 2026 13
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