Colorado isn’t unique to having challenges with the increased number of unhoused in our communities, nor do we have the silver-bullet solution. What we do have are mayors who have prioritized the issue to a ranking that has not been seen in the past. For example, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston declared a state of emergency as one of his first acts as mayor and set out with the ambitious goal of getting 1,000 individuals off the streets and into housing – a goal he declared victory on in the last day of 2023.

Housing is a basic human right. All individuals should have a safe and stable place to live and the security offered by having shelter. According to a Colorado Coalition for the Homeless report, Colorado is estimated to have between 10,397 and 53,000 individuals experiencing homelessness – 15,275 of which are students – and 32,233 individuals have accessed homelessness services.

Access to health care should also be a basic human right. Homelessness is often associated with poor physical and mental health outcomes. Prioritizing the homeless population can improve public health by ensuring access to health-care services, mental health support and addiction treatment. It can also help prevent the spread of infectious diseases by providing adequate sanitation facilities and reducing overcrowding.

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In a perfect world, medical, behavioral health, substance abuse treatment and the like would be available for individuals who get assistance while obtaining housing. In fact, the state of Colorado, municipalities and counties, and nonprofits alike have worked for years to offer and increase the number of wraparound and support services. The problem? Obtaining funding and buy-in for these services.

Also read: Simply housing folks isn’t a measure of success | COUNTERPOINT

Colorado has done work and has modeled pilot programs after the concept of “housing first.” According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, this model is a “homeless assistance approach that prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness, thus ending their homelessness and serving as a platform from which they can pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life. This approach is guided by the belief that people need basic necessities like food and a place to live before attending to anything less critical, such as getting a job, budgeting properly, or attending to substance use issues.”

So, does it work? A pilot program that began in 2016 achieved between an “83% and 87% success rate in housing stability for the people who participated in the five-year program.”

Is it a perfect program? Maybe not. But should we allow the perfect be the enemy of the good? Should we not provide housing until the stars align and the program is perfected? Absolutely not. In the meantime, we should be working on funding that has a proven track record of success.

Lisa LaBriola is a principal at Husch Blackwell Strategies and was a Senate Democrat staffer for close to a decade. She served as chief of staff to former Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman and former Senate President Leroy Garcia. Opinions expressed here are her own and do not reflect the opinions of any other organizations.