Why Denver Still Lags Behind Other Cities on Homelessness
The City of Denver spent at least $274 million to combat the homelessness crisis between 2021 and 2024, but according to a new investigation from the Denver Gazette, our results lag far behind other cities like Seattle and Houston. Reporters Chris Osher and Jenny Deam dug into a trove of data and sought out service providers, former city workers, federal officials, and people experiencing homelessness to learn more about where Denver is falling short. They join host Bree Davies to try to explain why the problem is getting worse and how our new mayor Mike Johnston’s approach differs from other cities.
Check out our recent interview with Mayor Johnston, where he discusses the current state of his administration’s approach to homelessness. Here’s the housing dashboard Mayor Johnston uses to track his progress.
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