​What Still Needs Work

Despite progress, we still face persistent challenges. Chronic homelessness has stayed flat at around 250 individuals, proof that while our investments prevent the number from growing, we are not driving it down. Data sharing between the city, county, and providers has been too fragmented to fully understand outcomes. We also lack local long-term behavioral health facilities, leaving some of our most vulnerable neighbors without the care they need. Finally, Boulder remains a magnet for people arriving from outside the city, 60% of unhoused individuals have lived here less than a month, stretching limited services and shelter capacity. We could do so much more, but the biggest limiting factor in the city’s homelessness strategy is that Boulder County does not have a regional strategy. If the county were willing or able to take on homelessness as a regional problem and bring our sister cities into the fold, we could be a model for the country in tackling this issue.

 

A New Strategy

On August 14, Council reviewed our city’s updated homelessness strategy, developed with city staff and the nationally recognized Clutch Consulting team. This plan builds on our existing strengths—like the day services center and permanent supportive housing—while charting a clear, focused path for what’s next.

At the heart of the strategy is a more rapid and coordinated assessment of people’s needs as they arrive in our community. This triage approach is designed to help us reach “Functional Zero” unsheltered homelessness—meaning no one has to sleep in their car or on the sidewalk—within the next few years.

 

What the New Strategy Does

Boulder’s updated homelessness strategy sets ambitious—but achievable—goals:

 

• End long-term homelessness (episodes longer than 365 days)

• End unsheltered homelessness (people sleeping outside)

 

The new strategy sets two major milestones:

1. End long-term homelessness (episodes over 365 days).

2. End unsheltered homelessness (“rough sleeping”) in Boulder.

 

To get there, Boulder is investing in expanded rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, diversion, and day services, while formalizing clear boundaries on camping in public spaces to protect health and safety. We’re also scaling prevention for families, through eviction defense, guaranteed income pilots, and expanded affordable housing, so that fewer households fall into crisis in the first place.

 

I’m proud to support this strategy. Our previous approach took us as far as it could, and now it’s time for these next steps to keep pushing for progress. Boulder deserves solutions that are compassionate, data-driven, and effective.

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How I'm Working on It:

• Elevating the voices of service providers, residents, and those with lived experience

• Keeping focus on outcomes, not just intentions—so we know when strategies are working

• Pushing for the County to meet the City with equal commitment and coordination

 

Why This Matters

This is about balance—showing compassion to those in crisis, maintaining accountability to our community, and using limited resources wisely. We can be both caring and clear-eyed. Our new homelessness strategy isn’t just a list of policies—it’s a promise to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring in Boulder.

Let’s Be the Model

Boulder has what it takes to lead. With the right investments, regional coordination, and strong political will, we can be a national model for tackling homelessness in a way that reflects our values and strengthens our community. Let’s make sure no one must sleep outside—because everyone deserves the dignity of a safe place to call home.

Compassionate, Pragmatic, Accountable

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Homelessness is one of the most complex and visible challenges facing Boulder today. It affects not only those experiencing it directly but also our collective sense of safety, compassion, and civic responsibility. Solving it requires honesty about what’s working, courage to fix what’s not, and a balanced approach grounded in both humanity and results.

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Since 2017, Boulder has operated under a coordinated homelessness strategy—one that has helped over 2,100 people secure housing, expand access to vouchers, stabilize families, and build a stronger safety net. But eight years in, it's clear we need to evolve. During my first term, I worked to refresh our approach—centering on three core values: compassion, pragmatism, and accountability. We’ve made good progress in impacting homelessness—especially in housing-first interventions, day services, and support for high-needs individuals.

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I’m proud to have

• Championed the creation of the Day Service Center at All Roads, giving unhoused individuals a safe, centralized place for basic services and connections to resources

• Supported funding for new units of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), helping those with the highest needs remain housed long-term

• Backed the Safe and Managed Public Space Program (SAMPS) to reduce unmanaged camping and offer transitional options