DENVER — A record number of people are being forced to leave their homes, according to a new report from Denver County Court.
In 2024, 15,960 Denverites ended up with their name in a court filing.
Denver7 worked to find out why, by asking the question, "Is rent too high or are wages too low?" It's a simple question with a seemingly complicated answer.
"We also need to think about opportunities to help people climb the ladder and not just need that safety net at the end of the day," Colorado Housing Connects Program Director Patrick Noonan said.
Many Denverites are one economic emergency away from being behind on rent, according to Noonan.
"The good news is that rents are starting to slow and decline," Noonan said. "The challenging thing is, wages haven't kept up, and so even if you aren't concerned about paying your rent, you might be just barely making it by."
The director of stability and prevention at the Department of Housing Stability (HOST), Melissa Thate, agrees. She said the eviction process can move quickly, and it's complicated.
"So a rent demand, or demand for compliance, is kind of the first step in the process. If the issue is not resolved, then the landlord goes to the court, and that's the filing," Thate said.
If it's not figured out, that's when people end up with their household items on a curb.
While that's hard on a family, Noonan said it's a hard market for landlords, too.
"For example, because of those rising insurance costs, because of other escalating costs of goods, the price to stay in business as the landlord is higher and higher," Noonan said. "It is hard for landlords out there to continue to operate in a way that they need to that is reasonable rent rate, to keep a roof over a family's head."
That's why Noonan and Thate preach solutions like tenant-landlord mediation.
Colorado Housing Connects offers mediation for free to help tenants and landlords reach an agreement sooner, rather than later.
HOST has resources, too.
"Denver offers emergency rental assistance as well as utility assistance, so if residents have fallen behind on rent or utilities, we can assist with that," Thate said.
Looking ahead to 2025, Noonan anticipates numbers could be even worse.