Denver isn’t keeping homeless shelters safe or tracking city’s spending on program, audit finds

Denver lacks important security measures at its homeless shelters, does not keep track of its spending on the facilities and is unable to ensure city funds are used appropriately, according to a city audit of the program released Thursday.

The report represents an indictment of one of Mayor Mike Johnston’s core initiatives and calls into question the effectiveness of the Department of Housing Stability, the city agency tasked with sheltering Denver’s most vulnerable population.

Because Denver does such a poor job tracking its spending, City Auditor Timothy O’Brien did his own math: Between January 2022 and March 2024, the city spent an estimated $149.6 million to operate the 25 shelters used to house individuals experiencing homelessness.

The audit found Denver’s lack of security measures at one hotel run by the Salvation Army contributed to the shootings of three individuals, two of whom were killed.

Only a limited camera system was present in the converted hotel and the building had no security guards, the report found.

“We found that Housing Stability lacks a formalized, strategic approach to ensuring timely security measures are in place at the shelters it oversees,” the audit states.

The auditor also found the city is not tracking and documenting its overall shelter-related spending.

“Without regular tracking of the department’s overall spending on homeless shelters, the department cannot effectively monitor or enforce accountability for shelter spending,” the report notes.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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