Denver Homeless Stats

Did you know that the state of Colorado has one of the highest homeless populations in the nation? With the economy continuing to decline, more and more people are facing homelessness in our state. While this blog's main purpose is to highlight organizations that are helping to fight poverty in the state of Colorado, I feel it is important that I share some facts about where our state stands right now. The information I will share is from The Gathering Place in Denver.

At a Glance:

• As of January 2012, 12,605 people were homeless in the Metro Denver Area
• 25.7% were "newly homeless," meaning they lost their homes within the past year
• 1 in 4 Homeless individuals have a full or part-time job
• 27% of the homeless population are children
• The fastest growing homeless population in families with children
• 44% of the homeless population are single mothers

Some stats are surprising, right? Did you know that many homeless individuals have at least a high school diploma? Some even have undergraduate or post-graduate degrees! I think it's a good reminder that we may not know the whole story, and we shouldn't make assumptions or generalizations.