DENVER — A first-of-its-kind report surveying 828 people experiencing homelessness found Denver’s unhoused community wishes housing were more accessible and what little affordable housing is available were better quality.

Housekeys Action Network Denver— an advocacy and organizing group run by those who are currently or were recently unhoused — collected its survey data by speaking with people experiencing homelessness at food banks, encampments and outside other service providers. Organizers at the network believe their survey is unique from those conducted by nonprofits and government organizations because they work on the ground with the community, rather than working through offices and bureaucratic systems.

“By and large, the homeless industrial complex doesn’t listen to houseless people,” said Terese Howard, an organizer. “Their priority is in keeping the machine going and they’re not interested in hearing critiques from houseless people.”

The report — titled “Pipe Dreams and Picket Fences" —  highlights the need for more public housing, better amenities in deed-restricted affordable housing and more dignity for formerly-houseless residents who now live in such housing.

“If we’re talking about creating housing and not having housing that meets that need for personal autonomy and community, then we’re not talking about the right kind of housing,” Howard said. 

Residents valued safety, community, affordability and freedom in their homes, the report found. Simple amenities like the ability to control temperature, freedom to invite guests over without explicit permission and bathrooms with shower access were top of the list for those seeking affordable housing.

“A lot of these are things that should be taken for granted but are not happening in reality,” Howard said. “There’s a lot of roles and restrictions and ways that that housing is made to be less free than any regular persons’ housing. With a lot of the homeless solutions you’ll hear coming from politicians, if you dig into the weeds on those solutions, they almost all restrict those sorts of freedoms.”

In recent Denver mayoral debates, several candidates have speculated that many unhoused people do not want housing and choose to live on the streets.

Survey results show that could not be further from the truth.

“Houseless people rightfully lack faith in the housing system,” the report states. “Their doubt is backed by years-long waitlists, abysmal housing lottery odds, and a dependency on service providers and case managers as gatekeepers.”

Respondents reported waiting an average of four years for housing through the lottery system, with an inability to eventually find housing due to racial bias, poor credit or criminal records.

Costs of so-called “affordable,” housing were also a barrier for those living on the street, HAND reported.

The top two barriers to not having housing were lack of income and low credit score, respondents shared. Next to financial issues, unhoused people reported not having a phone, not having official documents and having a felony conviction as issues preventing them from obtaining housing.

To afford housing with low-wage jobs or no employment at all, 81% to 88% of respondents need housing under $1,000 a month. Sixty to sixty-nine percent need housing under $600 and 17 to 29% need housing to be free.

Over 50% of people say they can’t afford housing because they don’t have access to money, and 38% can’t afford it because of bad credit scores that disqualify them from renting.

After securing housing, many said keeping their place of living was just as difficult as obtaining it in the first place. Consistent income, drug screenings and strict rules of housing proved difficult for those staying in affordable housing.

The 36% of respondents who’ve stayed in shelters reported feeling unsafe. Nearly 60% of formerly sheltered individuals said they had belongings stolen or were victims of violent crime.

Howard also said the dismantling of public housing has been detrimental to the unhoused community.

“When we talk about solutions, vouchers for private housing are not a solution,” Howard said.

Housekeys Action Network Denver ran the survey as Denverites prepare to elect a new mayor in April. The city’s new leader can serve up to four term limits.

Alison Berg is a multimedia journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at alisonberg@rmpbs.org.