DENVER — Volunteers on Tuesday worked to get accurate reports and calculate how many people are experiencing homelessness in the seven-county Denver metro area.
The survey is called the point-in-time (PIT) count. The count is done yearly and provides an unduplicated count of people experiencing homelessness on a single night, according to the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI). The count is done every January and is mandated by Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Data from Tuesday's efforts will be published in the summer.
The PIT count helps determine the extent of homelessness so that counties can plan response efforts and funding needs.
According to data published by MDHI, there were 6,884 people in the seven-county metro area experiencing homelessness during their count that was done on Jan. 24, 2022.
Thirty percent, 2,078, of people counted in 2022 were unsheltered. More than 4,800 were experiencing homelessness living in emergency shelters or transitional housing.
Here were the 2022 breakdowns of people experiencing homelessness for each county. Information provided by MDHI:
- Denver - 4,794
- Arapahoe - 514
- Jefferson - 493
- Adams - 462
- Boulder - 457
- Broomfield - 86
- Douglas - 78
According to the 2022 report, more than 11% of those experiencing homelessness were under the age of 18. The 35-44 age group had the highest percentage of people experiencing homeless at 22.8%.
The next age groups with the next highest percentages were 55-64 at 21.5%, and 45-54 at 19.6%, respectively.
The age group that reported the lowest percentage of people experiencing homelessness was 18-24 at 4.9%. Next lowest were seniors 65 years old or older; that age group had 6.4% represented in the 2022 PIT count.
The full breakdown for 2022's PIT count can be found here.
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