Denver’s Road Home
An Innovative Approach to Ending
Homelessness in Ten Years
Jamie Van Leeuwen, PhD.
Denver’s Road Home, City and County of Denver
2009 NAEHCY Conference
November 15, 2009
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper
“I believe smarter and better government can
deliver maximum results with limited resources.”
We Live In A World Where
Shift Happens
If you are one in a million in China….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q
There are 1300 other just Like You!
In Denver Shift Is Happening!
In Denver …
Shift Is Happening!
The History
 This Plan is a call to action and to partnership
for the Denver community.
 The short-term goal is a 75% reduction in
chronic homelessness in five years.
 The long-term goal is to end homelessness
in Denver.
 The Plan was put together by a 41 member
commission and over 350 volunteers.
The Eight Core Goals
 Permanent and Transitional Housing
 Shelter System
 Prevention
 Services
 Public Safety and Outreach
 Education, Training and Employment
 Community Awareness and Coordinated
Response
 Zoning, Urban Design and Land Use
What are the Faces of
Homelessness in Denver?
 This is Denver’s Road Home
www.ThisIsDenversRoadHome.org
The Count
 Metropolitan Denver Homeless Initiative
 January 2007, Point in Time Count
 Over 3,900 men, women and children in the
City and County of Denver live on the streets,
under bridges, in alleyways, in cars or in
shelters.
• 46% women and children
• 40% are working
• 60% are homeless families
The Costs of Homelessness
 It costs Denver taxpayers over $40,000 per
homeless person per year while the person
remains on the streets.
 One hospital stay averages $29,921 per person
who is homeless.
 Shelter Beds versus Housing ($18K vs. $15K)
Fundraising Strategy
 $46.1 million in new services to fully implement
first four years of plan
 50% Public Funding
 25% Foundation Support
 25% Private Sector Support
 Over 75% raised at end of Year Two
 Leverage
Accomplishments
 In the past four years, we have developed more than 1,500 new
units of housing for the homeless in partnership with our
community.
 We have prevented more than 3,278 families from becoming
homeless and helped 1,974 homeless people obtain employment.
 The faith community continues to stand by our side, and has
assisted in mentoring 564 families out of homelessness.
 In partnership with the Mile High United Way, we have achieved our
aggressive fund-raising goal of $46.1 million in the first four years of
the plan, with the goal of moving toward a more sustainable and
publicly-funded plan by year seven.
 And, in the midst of one of our most challenging economic climates,
we have 500 new units of affordable housing in the pipeline that will
be developed over the next two years!
Ending Homelessness Saves Money!
While living on the streets the chronically homeless use the most expensive city services –
detox treatment and emergency rooms are
among the most costly.
 25 highest users of Denver CARES logged a
cumulative total of 2,657 admissions, an
average of over 100 nights each.
 After one year in housing first, there was a
79.6% reduction in their admissions to a
cumulative total of 541 admissions in a year.
Housing the Homeless Works!
 Combines service requirement with
accountability
 Colorado Coalition for the Homeless Study
• Average monthly income increased from $185 at entry to
$431.
• 77% still in housing one year later.
• Average length of homelessness is 8 years.
• 34% of participants obtained benefits.
• Participants in program for two years:
 Hospitalizations, substance inpatient treatment, detox or
jail
decreased by 60% since enrollment in program.
 Utilizing emergency services for 44% fewer days than at
enrollment.
Cost Avoidance: Denver CARES
 There are a total of 446 clients who have entered treatment
between one and three years ago.
 Prior to entering treatment the total admissions for these clients
were 13,773.
 In 2009, their overall admissions totaled 3,328. This represents
10,445 or 75% reduction in admissions and a cost avoidance
for the city of a little over $2,083,600 from the previous Detox
services provided to these individuals based on their Detox
admissions one year pre-enrollment to treatment.
Cost Avoidance: Jail Census
Overall Jail Costs for Homeless Persons Have Gone from $10,315,360
to $7,143,015 with a cost avoidance of $3,172,345; a 31% decrease in
costs per year.
12,000,000
10,000,000
8,000,000
6,000,000
Jail Cost
4,000,000
2,000,000
0
2006
2009
Cost Avoidance: Jail Census
Length of Stay in Jail at $55 per night for Homeless People is down
31% from 187,552 days to 129,873 days.
200,000
150,000
100,000
Days
50,000
0
2006
2009
Cost Avoidance: Panhandling
 Our summer survey of panhandling indicated a reduction of 83%
from 2002 to 2009.
 In 2002, we noted an average of 36 panhandlers on the Mall.
 In 2009, we have noted six. However, this has increased from five
last year.
2,500
2,000
1,500
Panhandling
1,000
500
0
2005
2008
Reinvest Cost Savings
Reinvest Cost Savings
• Summer 2008 City Council passed
proclamation for $30 million in new
affordable housing for the chronically
homeless.
• Will create 208 new units of housing for
chronically homeless.
 432 total new affordable housing units.
Current Economic Climate: Homelessness is
an economic development issue.
Innovations: What Has Worked
 Leveraging Funds Across Sectors
 Reinvesting Cost Savings
 Community Awareness Efforts
• Project Homeless Connect
• Donation Meters
• Pajama Party
Community Awareness Matters!
 92% decrease in panhandling
 Give-a-Better-Way Campaign
(Downtown Denver Partnership)
 Resource Generator plus Community
Awareness
 Generating over $100K per year
 Downtown business improvement district
and DIA
Challenges
 Sustainability
 Prisoner Re-entry
 NOPE: Siting Affordable Housing
 It’s the Economy Stupid!
It’s About Accountability!
"...enormous sums of money are already
being spent on the chronically homeless,
and...the kind of money it would take to
solve the homeless problem could well be
less than the kind of money it (would take)
to ignore it."
- Malcolm Gladwell, Author, “The Tipping Point”
Contact Information
Jamie Van Leeuwen, PhD.
Denver’s Road Home
720-944-2506
[email protected]
www.DenversRoadHome.org
"Together, our community
can beat homelessness."
Denver Mayor John W. Hickenlooper