Top 10: No. 5: The homelessness crisis in Boulder
Dec. 27—Editor's note: The Daily Camera is counting down the top 10 news stories of the year, as selected by the newspaper's editors.
Over the past few years, homelessness in Boulder has reached a crisis level — and 2023 saw the situation become increasingly dire.
The Metro Denver Homeless Initiative's Point in Time Count for 2023 counted 839 unhoused individuals Boulder County as of Jan. 30. This year's count is the highest in the past seven years. An official from the Emergency Family Assistance Association has noted a "tremendous increase" in the number of people losing housing and needing emergency assistance.
The Boulder City Council has been working with other cities in the county to raise its minimum wage in 2025, but workers and advocates urged the city to increase it sooner, citing enormous need in the community. The council decided by a slim margin to wait until 2025 to enact the increase.
Homeless encampments are common in Boulder, and advocates link them to the city's housing shortage and lack of affordability. But encampments have also sparked a heated public controversy, pitting the rights of the unhoused community against fears about public safety.
That debate came into sharp focus this spring after a series of tent fires near downtown Boulder. Officials said at least two of them involved propane tank explosions, and two impacted students at Boulder High School, including forcing an evacuation by students of the school's Recht Field.
Amid the ensuing community outrage, a group of parents started a petition to get the Safe Zones 4 Kids measure, which aimed to prioritize the removal of tents and other "prohibited items" near schools and walkways, on the November ballot. Safe Zones proved highly popular, passing by almost a 22-point margin.
Policy-wise, the City Council discussed, but made little progress toward, implementing sanctioned camping areas. The council did allocate $3 million in the city's 2024 budget for the Safe and Managed Public Spaces program, which conducts encampment cleanups.
On Dec. 19, memorial services were held in Boulder and Longmont to commemorate the more than 50 unhoused individuals who died in Boulder County this year.
------
Top 10
No. 10: Boulder residents protest modular home factory on BVSD land
No. 9: Boulder voters approve Safe Zones ballot measure
No. 8: Frozen Dead Guy joins his namesake festival in Estes Park
No. 7: CU Boulder Education dean quits after departure of four women of color faculty
No. 6: Continuing upheaval on Boulder's Police Oversight Panel
