Denver's 311 service allows residents to call or text the city 24/7 to report problems like homeless encampments, illegally parked vehicles, loud noises, overgrown tree branches or potholes.
Since 2022, the City of Denver has recorded nearly 60,000 complaints from residents contacting 311 about homeless encampments across the city, according to data from the Denver Department of Technology Services. In 2024, that number is on pace to drop by about 10,000 complaints compared to each of the past two years, however.
Since 2022, the City of Denver has recorded nearly 60,000 complaints from residents contacting 311 about homeless encampments across the city, according to data from the Denver Department of Technology Services. In 2024, that number is on pace to drop by about 10,000 complaints compared to each of the past two years, however.
Some encampments were responsible for a considerable number of complaints. In late 2023, when migrants began living outside of a hotel-turned-shelter on Zuni Street and Speer Boulevard, dozens of residents called to report activity in the area. More recently, residents have been calling about encampments on Osage and Mariposa streets in La Alma Lincoln Park.
Technology Services records show that about 27,000 complaints regarding homeless encampments were recorded in 2022, with more than 22,000 in 2023, but as of October 28, fewer than 11,000 such complaints had been tallied this year.
Between 800 and 1,400 complaints regarding homeless encampments were recorded each month so far this year, according to Technology Services department data; in 2022, when former mayor Michael Hancock was in office, there were between 1,500 and 3,200 per month, and in 2023, Johnston's first year, that number was between 1,200 and 2,200.
In a statement, the mayor's office credited the decrease in encampment complaints to Johnston's efforts to house 2,000 people since he was inaugurated in July 2023, an initiative he calls All In Mile High.
"The decrease in 311 calls to encampments across the board is a testament to the incredible work the city and our partners have done to make All In Mile High a success," Jordan Fuja, a spokesperson for the mayor's office, says in a statement. "Instead of pushing people from one block to the next, our approach pairs real housing resources with the permanent closure of encampments to make a lasting difference both in the lives of people living on the streets and of housed residents and businesses who see the transformative impact of fewer encampments lining the sidewalks."
Denver saw similar numbers in the results of this year's Point-in-Time count, a federally funded tally of people sleeping in the streets and in homeless shelters on a given date. The 2024 count showed that Denver County had an 11 percent decrease in unsheltered homelessness or people sleeping outside, about 160 people. However, Denver, like every other county in the metro area, saw an increase in overall homelessness thanks to rising homeless shelter populations, with an additional 900 people tallied as living in Denver's shelters this year compared with 2023.
Housekeys Action Network Denver, which advocates for the metro area's homeless, argues that the drop in complaints is the result of stricter enforcement by the Johnston administration.
"The reason you can't see it is because he has gotten rid of the large encampments and ramped up enforcement to the point where you're not going to see encampments, because you don't have enough time to set up your tent, let alone get three to four tents," says Ana Lilith-Gloom, an organizer for HAND. "If you look around, you still see people downtown and around town, but with enforcement the way it is, you're not going to see encampments."
In 2022, Denver residents reported homeless encampments to 311 more than 2,000 times every month from April through October, including 3,100 times in June of that year. In 2023, residents made more than 1,000 complaints every month.
Denver saw similar numbers in the results of this year's Point-in-Time count, a federally funded tally of people sleeping in the streets and in homeless shelters on a given date. The 2024 count showed that Denver County had an 11 percent decrease in unsheltered homelessness or people sleeping outside, about 160 people. However, Denver, like every other county in the metro area, saw an increase in overall homelessness thanks to rising homeless shelter populations, with an additional 900 people tallied as living in Denver's shelters this year compared with 2023.
Housekeys Action Network Denver, which advocates for the metro area's homeless, argues that the drop in complaints is the result of stricter enforcement by the Johnston administration.
"The reason you can't see it is because he has gotten rid of the large encampments and ramped up enforcement to the point where you're not going to see encampments, because you don't have enough time to set up your tent, let alone get three to four tents," says Ana Lilith-Gloom, an organizer for HAND. "If you look around, you still see people downtown and around town, but with enforcement the way it is, you're not going to see encampments."
In 2022, Denver residents reported homeless encampments to 311 more than 2,000 times every month from April through October, including 3,100 times in June of that year. In 2023, residents made more than 1,000 complaints every month.
In 2023, the number of encampment complaints was trending higher than it did the previous year. In February 2023, when shelters resumed discharging migrants and homeless residents after a cold weather emergency, Denver received 1,500 calls about encampments. In March 2023, residents made 2,400 calls about encampments, compared with 1,800 in March 2022.
However, by April 2023, the monthly number of complaints began dropping below their levels from the previous year,and has been trending downward ever since.
Mayor Johnston has twice declared victory in his efforts to house 1,000 people each calendar year he's been in office. He campaigned on the promise to end homelessness in Denver by the end of his administration.
On October 21, Johnston announced that the city had housed 2,000 people. According to the All In Mile High dashboard, about half of them are in hotels leased or owned by the city, and 158 people are in micro-communities.
According to the mayor's office, more than 300 people went from the streets into an All In Mile High hotel or micro-community and now live in permanent and stable housing, while about 250 returned to living on the streets; an additional 100 people who went through the program have outcomes marked "unknown."
Lilith-Gloom isn't convinced that Johnston's administration is any better than that of former mayor Hancock, saying, "They're the same." She warns that Johnston is relying on a short-term strategy and is more worried about "optics."
"The only difference between Johnston and Hancock was Hancock didn't mask his contempt for the houseless community," she argues. "It's great that there are a lot of people inside, but a lot of them are going to be back on the streets in a year, six months."
Mayoral spokesperson Fuja promises that "after hitting our goal to bring an additional 1,000 Denverites inside two months early, we’re excited to continue this program and work to end street homelessness while expanding our affordable housing resources to help everyone get access to safe, stable, permanent housing."
