DENVER (KDVR) — About six weeks remain before Denver’s deadline to house 1,000 people before next year.
Mayor Mike Johnston announced the effort as soon as he took office, declaring an emergency over homelessness in the city. The mayor’s so-called House1000 initiative has seen some progress, but the city still has more than 70% of the way to go.
On Thursday, FOX31 asked the city’s Homeless Resolution Operations Center for an update.
“Housing 1,000 unsheltered Denverites before the end of the year is an ambitious goal, but we are well on the path to obtaining the units necessary to meet that goal,” a city spokesperson wrote to FOX31’s Lisa D’Souza. “As we continue to identify and open more units, we will be able to help more people move indoors over the next 6 weeks.”
The city had spent around $16.2 million on the initiative as of Thursday, according to the spokesperson. Most of that went toward buying the Best Western hotel to convert to a shelter. Other contracts were approved this year, including a lease of the DoubleTree hotel and micro-community contracts.
Johnston’s administration has previously said the plan will cost an estimated $48.6 million, including for apartment leases and the response to encampments. Denver has swept multiple encampments since Johnston took office, including on Thursday at 24th and Arapahoe streets.
House1000 by the numbers, as of Nov. 16
The city’s dashboard shows 275 people had received help through the initiative as of Thursday. The figure includes the combined number of housing and shelter connections since July 18.
Here’s how the 275 breaks down:
- 79: Leased unit (includes public housing, vouchers, subsidies, supportive housing, market-rate units or owned units)
- 35: Reunification with friends or family (moved into a room, apartment or house with a friend or family member)
- 33: Other sheltered outcomes (includes bridge housing, transitional housing, congregate shelters and other shelter options)
- 128: Additional sheltered outcomes (unspecified)
Denver has also been working to increase its capacity for sheltering people. The city had 1,395 units in the pipeline as of Thursday:
- 200: Leased units
- 500: Hotel conversion units being investigated
- 195: Hotel conversion units acquired
- 200: Micro-community units acquired
- 300: Micro-community units in procurement
The numbers are sourced through the Colorado Homeless Information Management System. The city’s House1000 dashboard is updated around noon every weekday.
