Homelessness today is addressed solely at the individual level. This increases our reliance on our communities’ social services around Colorado. From mental health resources to substance use, clothing, and food. While these are all important in the sustainment of those currently affected, Colorado's stance on Homelessness is Housing First (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2022). This initiative, although around since 1992, has been enflamed by the emergence of COVID and the pandemic, which have changed how our communities interact. From the increased use of delivery services and contact to limited communication, to activities and further development of communication devices and platforms that evolve to fit society's needs. These restrictions were felt between the people and the governing bodies. Leading to today, the holds on assistance with rent and federal funding from the United States that were in place to maintain our structures are gone, leaving each other without stability. Since the end of COVID in 2023, the ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) standard, which calculates the bare minimum cost of safe, basic housing, shows that 78% of Colorado renters live below these standards (United Ways of Colorado, 2025). The reliance on housing stability social services during the pandemic provided some stability while work and finances became hard to maintain. ALICE finds that the ALICE household budget for a family of four is 90,000 while the federal poverty level comparison is 30,000. This shows that the federal government underestimates Coloradans' needs. This large increase in the margin of error between these 2 standard statistics is a significant miscalculation. Also, the annual increase in the homeless population is considered 7%. The pairing of these two values suggests that the homeless population increases more than 7% annually. The effect of COVID expanded well beyond the individual, as state taxation slowed while spending didn’t. Today, in 2026, the state of Colorado faces a 1.5-billion-dollar deficit (Frawley, 2026), which has led to social cuts and changes in social assistance patterns. Within the Housing First model Colorado uses, a hold has been in place since late 2024 on state, county, and local housing assistance. Even with the assistance that Housing First provides, funding may decrease in sectors such as emergency/public services. However, it displaces the shortcomings right back into the communities it serves to help.
Without legislative and public service changes that shift the culture within our communities, we face further harm to the people, their businesses, and the state itself.