Homelessness replaced traffic congestion as Denver’s biggest problem last year, the first time the issue ranked as the city’s top woe in an annual resident survey that began in 2002.
Residents have consistently rated homelessness one of Denver’s most troubling issues but always behind traffic congestion and just ahead of population growth or drugs.
This time, though, just 46 percent of the residents surveyed in the 2006 poll said traffic congestion is a “major problem,” a drop from 57 percent the year before.
Homelessness was a major problem for 55 percent of those surveyed, a one-point drop from 2005 but still high enough to rank it first.
Mayor John Hickenlooper said the result is a byproduct of work to heighten the profile of homelessness and its associated problems.
“I’m encouraged by this because the more people in our community understand and appreciate the complex issues underlying homelessness, the likelier it is that they will join with us to develop and implement solutions,” Hickenlooper said.
Hickenlooper created Denver’s Road Home a year ago as part of a 10-year plan to end homelessness. Annual counts of the city’s homeless population have shown a moderate decrease, with 9,091 people tabulated last winter. A new count is to occur next week.
After homelessness and traffic, the problems rated worst were, in order, drugs, unsupervised youths, too much growth, graffiti, crime, taxes, run-down buildings and noise.
Three of four residents said they thought the overall quality of life in Denver was good or excellent, while just 4 percent rated it poor.
Of 3,000 questionnaires mailed, 740 were returned, the lowest response since the city began the poll in 2002. The next is scheduled for April.
Resident confidence seems to have waned in areas such as the quality of services to seniors and youths and the caliber of services to low-income people, survey results show. Each area scored lower than in previous years.
Fewer services are the result of fewer tax dollars available to pay for them, according to Roxane White, manager of Denver’s Department of Human Services.
But citizens should see a difference as the passage of Referendum C in 2005 allowed the state to capture and disburse more tax dollars last year, she said.
“It is already helping a lot,” White said. “It’s increased funding for services such as Medicaid eligibility enrollment and child welfare … across the state.”
Citizen reaction to the availability of and access to affordable health care remained about the same, with 66 percent calling it poor or fair, compared with 67 percent previously.
Affordability of quality housing continues to be a concern, with 72 percent rating it as fair or poor, down slightly from 75 percent the year before.
Staff writer David Migoya can be reached at 303-954-1506 or dmigoya@denverpost.com.
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Traffic congestion, the former No. 1 issue, dropped 11 percentage points from 2005.
Problems stemming from illegal drug use dipped slightly in the survey from 45 percent in 2005.
Too much growth surpassed graffiti by 2 percentage points to round out the top four.
55%
Denver residents said homelessness was the city’s top problem in a 2006 survey. Above, “Smokey” James Williams works a corner at Park Avenue West and Welton Street.
46%
Traffic congestion, the former No. 1 issue, dropped 11 percentage points from 2005.
42%
Problems stemming from illegal drug use dipped slightly in the survey from 45 percent in 2005.
35%
Too much growth surpassed graffiti by 2 percentage points to round out the top four.
