The number of people living in Denver without homes has decreased for the first time in almost a decade, according to annual one-night census.
The point-in-time count, which tallies how many people were homeless on a single night in January each year, showed a 12.5% decrease in overall homelessness in the city compared to the 2025 report. Unsheltered homelessness — which is those who are sleeping in tents or on the streets — was down 34% from the previous year.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston celebrated the new data Wednesday as a win for his All In Mile High homelessness program, which has been his administration’s focus since he was elected in 2023.
“This is a historic accomplishment, and it is one we celebrate with every city employee, partner and Denverite who shares the belief that our neighbors deserve better than to sleep on the streets,” Johnston in a statement ahead of a morning news conference.
He added at the event: “A goal that once seemed like fantasy — the idea that we can end the cycle of street homelessness in Denver — now feels like a very real possibility.”
The count, conducted by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, found 518 people living unsheltered on Denver’s streets on that night in January. That was down from 785 people last year and the decade peak of 1,423 people in 2023.
Last year, MDHI counted 7,327 people who were homeless overall in the city, meaning that they may have shelter but don’t have a stable living condition. This year, the initiative counted 6,411. That more than offset a 12% increase in overall homelessness found in the 2025 count, on top of a similar increase the prior year.
“We’re here to say that together, we are reducing homelessness in Denver,” said Cole Chandler, the executive director of the city’s Department of Housing Stability, at the mayor’s news conference in the Uptown neighborhood. “We’re here to say that our policies, programs, strategies and investments are working.”
The MDHI’s found 9,950 people who were homeless, down 7.6%. Of those, 1,703 were living unsheltered, down nearly 21% from last year.
Under Johnston’s administration, the city has added about 1,000 shelter beds, bringing the overall number in the city’s system to 3,000. The city has converted several former hotels into shelters and added a handful of tiny home microcommunities to move people indoors from encampments.
The mayor’s office says the program costs about $58 million each year, but the city auditor has taken issue with that accounting. In a dispute earlier this year, an audit — which the mayor’s office disputed — found that the actual cost is higher.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
