Denver's homelessness fell to its lowest level in nine years, according to the latest point-in-time count, which found street homelessness dropped 64% since Mayor Mike Johnston took office in 2023.

Why it matters: The sharp decline marks a major milestone for Johnston's signature homelessness initiative, which has garnered both national acclaim and local scrutiny since launching roughly three years ago.

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

• The city's investments in housing, prevention and coordination helped achieve the reduction, Metro Denver Homeless Initiative executive director Jason Johnson 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 count found 518 people living on city streets this year — 267 fewer than in 2025 — the lowest figure recorded since at least 2017.

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

Caveat: The point-in-time count 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.

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.

Share this story

As homelessness dropped across metro Denver last year, the number of unhoused youth statewide rose, according to the Colorado Homeless Management Information System's latest report.

Context: People ages 24 and younger — who represent a smaller share of the overall unhoused population — experienced the fastest year-over-year growth of any age group, jumping 10.3% statewide.

• The trend reflects rising economic barriers, family conflict and young people aging out of systems such as foster care, the report finds.
• Expanded outreach is likely playing a role as well, bringing previously undercounted youth into view.
• Statewide, 53,776 people were unhoused last year, a slight decline from the previous year. Of those, at least 3,624 were 24 or younger.

Zoom in: Denver bucked the statewide trend. The city's point-in-time data showed a decline in youth homelessness, including a 28% reduction in sheltered and a 57% drop in unsheltered homelessness.

Caveat: Families — who also saw a rise in homelessness last year — and youth may not be counted during the count for privacy reasons, Metro Denver Homeless Initiative's Johnson said during yesterday's press conference.

This year's low snowpack isn't all bad news: Colorado's mountain passes are opening earlier than ever.

Why it matters: Not only does it make trips faster, but opening the passes "signifies the winter to summer weather transition," Colorado Department of Transportation executive director Shoshana Lew said in a statement.

State of play: Most years, the passes don't open until the end of May, if not early June.

Today, transportation officials will open:

• Independence Pass, connecting Aspen to Twin Lakes and Leadville on Highway 82.
• Cottonwood Pass, between Buena Vista and Almont by 5pm, weather allowing.
• Kebler Pass, linking Crested Butte to Paonia.

In addition, the road to the top of Mount Blue Sky opens tomorrow for the first time since Labor Day 2024, when it was closed for maintenance. Reservations are required.

Plus, Guanella Pass opened April 16.

Yes, but: The popular Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park remains closed at Many Parks Curve after new snow fell Tuesday.

Send to a passenger princess

📍 U.S. News & World Report included four cities in its "Best Places to Live in the U.S." rankings. Parker (No. 87), Centennial (No. 107), Castle Rock (No. 133) and Arvada (No. 247) all landed among the top 250. (9News)

❎ Jefferson County commissioners voted Tuesday to put a 10-month moratorium on the construction of new data centers, following in Denver's footsteps, John reports.

📚 Colorado libraries reported 43 challenges involving their books, materials, events and exhibits, a 25% decrease from the previous year. (Denver Post 🔑)

🏈 Dan Lolli, a former leader of three Major League Soccer clubs, is joining the Denver Broncos as general manager for Empower Field at Mile High. (DBJ 🔑)

In a staggering rebuke, the Colorado Democratic Party's governing board voted last evening to censure Gov. Jared Polis for granting election denier Tina Peters clemency.

Why it matters: The sanction — unmatched in recent history — could stain Polis' legacy and overshadow his victories in his eight years in the job.

Driving the news: Approved by 90% of the party's central committee, the censure said Polis "harmed the Colorado Democratic Party's institutional credibility and efforts to defend Democratic institutions and election integrity."

• The resolution also bars Polis from serving as a party representative, honored guest or featured speaker at party-sponsored events.

The intrigue: U.S. Rep. Jason Crow (D-Aurora) led the push, saying, "Coloradans deserve leaders who act with moral clarity, fight corruption and are willing to take on a broken system."

Read more

It turns out not everyone hates squirrels as much as I do.

Why it matters: They eat all the food in the bird feeders and leave my red-crested house finches and black-capped chickadees with nothing to nibble.

Yes, but: Axios Denver reader Liz Pope and her husband are taking the opposite approach. She's feeding the squirrels — all named "Cheeks," because who can tell them apart? — on her fifth-floor balcony in the Golden Triangle neighborhood.

• It's a "full-service operation," she writes. "The nuts bar, filtered water, custom trail mix and seasonal fruit. We are their staff."

The bottom line: If you can't beat 'em, feed 'em.