Denver street homelessness hits 9-year low

Driving the news: The mayor's office and the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative released the findings on Wednesday from the annual PIT count conducted in January.

• Investments in housing, prevention and coordination by Denver helped the reduction, Metro Denver Homeless Initiative executive director Jason Johnston said in a statement.

By the numbers: Overall homelessness in Denver fell 13% from 2025, marking the city's first year-over-year decline in nearly a decade, according to the mayor's office.

• The PIT count found 518 people living on city streets this year — 267 fewer than in 2025 — the lowest number recorded since at least 2017.

County-level data is only available back to 2017, when 544 people were counted living unsheltered, per the mayor's office.

Caveat: The PIT tracks sheltered and unsheltered homelessness on a single night in January, so it's a snapshot, not a total count of every person who may be experiencing homelessness throughout the year.

What's next: The mayor's administration believes the city is on track to achieve a 75% overall reduction in street homelessness from 2023 levels by next year.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.