First Steps to Combat Homelessness in Denver Suburbs

John Aguilar reports on the complex picture of suburban homelessness in Jefferson, Arapahoe, and Adams counties in Colorado.

Multiple suburban communities are grappling with homelessness, which, according to past counts, has been generally declining in the suburbs since 2014.

Officials in these communities, however, know these counts are not capturing the nature and extent of homelessness, and it's not the only narrative to be interpreted from the latest survey. The Metro Denver Homeless Initiative in August released its annual Point in Time survey, showing "homelessness continuing to trend up, with the number of people without a permanent home in the metro area increasing from 5,317 last year to 5,755 this year, or 8%," according to Aguilar.

Also, beyond the numbers, another important factor is clear: homelessness looks different in the suburbs than it does in the city, and that means that suburban homelessness is likely being undercounted.