DENVER — On Monday, Denver leaders did something unprecedented: City Council members and Mayor Mike Johnston agreed to allocate $29.1 million to help people pay rent in 2024.
This is happening as Denver County Court expects to see a record-high 12,200 eviction filings in 2023. It surpasses a peak of 10,000 eviction filings in 2010 during the Great Recession.
Rental assistance will not be made available until January. That leaves some advocates worried for families who need help now. Federal and local money for rental assistance this year have run out.
"It's amazing what we have set ourselves up for in 2024 but we are absolutely facing a crisis just to keep people housed through the end of the year," said Elina Rodriguez, manager of policy advocacy at the Community Economic Defense Project.
Rodriguez helps people facing eviction in Denver. She thinks the rest of the year doesn't look optimistic because more funding will not be available for the next two months.
"It means for families facing eviction in Denver, they are on their own. The pot is empty. The portal is closed," she said. "There is quite literally nothing for them to really access except maybe a church is running a very small charity - here is 500 bucks for families, but structurally and systemically we have failed."
Rodriguez said she thinks the city will start to see more families experiencing homelessness.
"Recent data shows the number one type of household most likely to be evicted is one with children," she said.
According to Denver's Department of Housing Stability, one in three Denver households is paying more than a third of their income toward housing. The city offers a number of resources for those facing an eviction including a free eviction clinic.
"Denver is deeply committed to our work to support housing stability and we know that it's important to have a continuum of services," said Sue Powers, interim executive director of Denver's Department of Housing Stability.
Help is coming. Rodriguez said it just may not be soon enough for some.
"I think we are staring down the barrel of a crisis that housing advocates knew was coming," she said.
At the same time, Mayor Johnston is trying to house 1,000 people by January. Data from Denver's Department of Housing Stability shows the number of people experiencing homelessness went up by more than 20% from 2022 to 2023.
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