DENVER — Five years ago, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zach Neumann helped start the Community Economic Defense Project to help Denver metro families facing eviction or foreclosure.
“Most families in our community are a $400 or $500 emergency away from not being able to pay rent and facing eviction,” he told Denver7 Friday. “And that's really scary.”
That help is even more needed now. As Neumann points out, “this problem just keeps getting worse and worse every single year.”
Denver
Denver eviction filings broke a record last year. Here’s what the numbers show
Denver set new records for eviction filings in both 2023 and 2024. Now, according to Neumann, data from the first quarter of 2025 shows statewide eviction numbers are on pace to set another record this year, surpassing 60,000.
This week, a new report from the Apartment Association of Metro Denver showed average metro rents are falling, now down to their lowest level since 2022. Vacancy rates are up to seven percent, a 16-year high, according to the report, which points to booming construction and supply catching up with demand.
That may help some renters find or negotiate better deals, but for others, there’s not much relief.
“Rents are dramatically out of scale with the amount of money people are earning,” said Neumann. “We're talking about average rents that are $1800-plus. Most families that are working in Denver cannot afford that rent level. They are working multiple jobs.”
- Check out the graphs below to see how Denver eviction numbers break down by month and year.
Patrick Noonan is the director of Colorado Housing Connects, a free helpline offering help for people who need housing resources. He agrees that 2025’s early eviction numbers are set to exceed last year’s record-breaking figures, and that there is still a major affordability problem in the metro area.
“There's a mismatch between what's out there and available and the opportunities people need to rent relative to their income,” said Noonan.
Noonan said his group takes thousands of monthly calls and emails from people looking for housing help.
“We need to pull as many of those levers as possible to find some meaningful relief for the average household,” he added.
One of those levers, these advocates say, is to build even more housing that families can afford and expand support for first-time home-buyers.
“We need more opportunities for not just treading water but helping people to succeed and thrive,” said Noonan, who wants those struggling to know there are resources available. "People with a housing challenge often times get so focused on trying to just survive, that it's hard to know that there's help out there. And take the time to research and understand what you can do to dig out of that hole."
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.