Denver deserves leadership with the resolve to address our homelessness crisis head on.

• Enforce the camping ban to get homeless into drug addiction and mental health services.
• End programs that contribute to homelessness—including safe-injection sites and universal basic income for the homeless.
• Increase support for programs that address the root causes of most chronic homelessness—mental illness and addiction.
• Build more affordable housing—no one should ever be forced into homelessness because they can’t afford rent or the price of a starter home.

The Problem:

• Homelessness is increasing and now sits at a 14-year high. First-time homelessness doubled over the last year. The unsheltered population has increased 120% over the last 3 years.  
• Homeless sleeping in tents along our roads make Denver less safe. Camping is dangerous for the homeless. More than 263 people died in Denver while homeless in 2022, a near majority from overdoses. They are dangerous to the surrounding neighborhoods which live in fear of increased crime and open drug use. Denver deserves better than streets littered with tents.
• Our spending is ineffective.  The only thing climbing faster than our homeless population is the amount of money we are throwing at the problem. An estimated $1.7 billion will be spent between 2021 and 2023. Spending per person in Denver is between $38K and $63K a year. There are between 4,000 and 7,000 city employees working to address homelessness. 

The Solution: Denver deserves leadership with the resolve to address our homelessness crisis head on.

• Solving Denver’s homelessness crisis starts with enforcing the camping ban. Denver has enough shelter beds available. It’s time for a mayor who will consistently enforce the camping ban. Homelessness in Metro Denver: An Opportunity to Transform Resources & the Existing System | Common Sense Institute (commonsenseinstituteco.org)  
• We should end programs that contribute to homelessness. We should end all funding for safe-injection sites and universal basic income. We are not helping someone with a fentanyl addiction by handing them no strings attached cash. 
• We should increase support for programs that address the root causes of most chronic homelessness—mental illness and addiction. I will refocus city departments and NGOs on drug rehabilitation and mental health services.
• Finally, we need to build more affordable housing. No one should ever be forced into homelessness because they can’t afford rent or the price of a starter home.