Mayor Johnson briefed the mayor and Denver City Council on the city's 2024 goals, saying the administration recorded a large one-year drop in street homelessness and declines in gun violence while launching new service models and permitting changes.

"We delivered, the largest 1 year reduction in street homelessness in recorded history," Mayor Johnson said, and he reported that the city had moved 2,233 people from streets into transitional or permanent housing in 2024.

The mayor said the city also met its housing goal to "permit, secure, finance, or support 3,000 affordable units," and that a ballot measure for the downtown Denver development authority passed with about 77% support, unlocking what the administration described as roughly $570,000,000 for downtown investment.

Why it matters: The administration presented these figures as the core outcomes of five priority areas for 2024'vibrant neighborhoods and downtown revitalization, affordability and housing, safety, better government operations, and employee engagement'and said the results will guide 2025 priorities and program changes.

Key results highlighted
- Homelessness and housing: Mayor Johnson said the city exceeded its goal to place 2,000 people into transitional housing, reporting 2,233 placements and an 83% reduction in family street homelessness. He also said the city has ended the cycle of street homelessness for veterans and that Denver now has available units for every veteran identified as needing housing.

- Public safety: The mayor reported a 23% citywide decline in the combined measure of fatal and nonfatal shootings ("person shot"), a 22% decrease in nonfatal shootings, and an almost 30% drop in firearm homicides. He framed nonfatal shootings as an important metric alongside homicide.

- Roads to Recovery and outreach: The administration said the Roads to Recovery effort has moved "more than 200 individuals, who were chronically homeless with major needs into treatment settings." Mayor Johnson said Erin Attencio, who leads the project, and the city's data team are tracking longitudinal outcomes and follow-up services for those people.

- Permitting and business support: The city reported it met its residential permitting target (a 30% reduction in residential permitting timelines) but did not meet commercial permitting goals. The mayor described process changes such as allowing a single permit for a house and detached garage and other administrative fixes. He also said the city has established a fast-track permitting path for restaurants converting an existing restaurant space, cutting what he described as a prior 18-month timeline for some conversions to a new 2-to-4-week target.

- City services and solid waste: The administration said it made progress on customer-facing services, including a new notification system for business-license applicants and reductions in cart-replacement wait times, but noted route completion for trash collection averaged about 90% (below a 93% goal) and cited staffing and vehicle shortages as constraints.

- Employee pay and engagement: The mayor said the city provided a 4% merit increase for a second consecutive year and added a wellness day for city employees.

Operational and health responses at encampment sites
Council members and the mayor discussed health and medical needs at large shelter or site locations. Mayor Johnson said the city has added preventive outreach and a med unit at Fire Station 26 to respond more nimbly to medical calls in that corridor and said mobile scheduling of primary-care visits has reduced some 911 calls from those sites.

Council reactions and follow-up
Councilwoman Perry said she welcomed the progress but remained concerned about the city's capacity to deliver wraparound services such as mental-health and addiction treatment for people who leave homelessness. "I continue to be concerned about this, our ability to deliver the wraparound services," she said. The mayor replied that the city has launched a housing command center and plans similar command-center structures for workforce and behavioral-health supports to accelerate placements and follow-up care.

Several council members asked for additional data and presentations. The mayor offered to have Erin Attencio or staff present the Roads to Recovery longitudinal data to either the safety committee or the full council, and council members discussed invitations for the planning department to present its commercial permitting redesign to community stakeholders.

Ending
The mayor said the city will carry these results into 2025 goal-setting work and bring more detailed proposals on permitting, climate integration, and the safety command-center approach to upcoming committee meetings.