Denver hears plan for state‑required housing needs assessment and anti‑displacement strategy

The committee received a first briefing on Denver’s housing needs assessment and an anti‑displacement and reinvestment strategy required by 2024 state legislation. Liah Mitchell, director of development and catalytic partnerships for the Department of Housing Stability, said the city secured a competitive grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to cover 75% of the study cost and selected Root Policy Research as its consultant.

Heidi Agler of Root Policy Research summarized six main analytical components—demographics and household projections, tenure and unit mix, a housing market analysis, accessible and affordable unit needs for people with disabilities, a special economic analysis of wages and jobs, and an anti‑displacement analysis that will examine race and ethnicity shifts, neighborhoods at elevated displacement risk, and best practices. "The housing needs assessment will form the basis of HOST strategic plan and also forms the basis of the housing action plan which is required by the state," Mitchell said.

Root described a tailored methodology for Denver rather than relying wholesale on regional projections; the consultant said the city will deliver preliminary housing needs and projections in late July and a displacement risk assessment in August, with draft recommendations and policy options in the fall. The presentation noted the assessment will produce neighborhood‑level analyses and recommended policies that feed into HOST’s strategic planning and budget priorities.

Council members pressed on several points: the apparent mismatch between vacancy rates and homelessness (members queried how vacancy by unit type and age will be reconciled with demand among families and larger households), the methodology differences versus the DRCOG regional study, how the assessment will account for senior households and aging in place, whether foreclosures and evictions are included (presenters confirmed both are being analyzed), and potential climate‑related drivers such as insurance cost increases and housing resilience.

Presenters said they will use multiple data sources (CoStar for multifamily rents, assessor and MLS data for for‑sale housing, HMIS for homelessness data) and plan targeted focus groups to reach underrepresented voices, including people who have left the city. The committee discussion emphasized using the study to prioritize limited HOST resources and to align funding and programmatic decisions with demonstrated neighborhood needs.

The consultants and HOST staff said they will return with preliminary projections and continue targeted engagement; committee members requested additional detail on vacancy definitions, unit composition for family households, and more timely eviction data as the study proceeds.