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ATTACHMENT C The Denver Post "ENDING HOMELESSNESS NOT EASY, BUT DENVER HAS A PLAN" June $, 2005 Ending homelessness in Denver will not come cheaply, but most of us do not realize what we are already paying to maintain the status quo. With our current emergency response system of shelters and fragmented service provision, Denver is spending more than $70 million annually for back-end services and health care for people who are homeless. If even a small percentage of this outlay could be redirected into preventing homelessness, the community would see an amazing benefit. In addition, studies in New York City and Philadelphia demonstrate a net savings of $12,000 to $16,300 annually for each unit of service- enriched, supportive housing built in place of emergency shelter beds. That savings alone could pay for 90 percent of the service-enriched housing proposed in the Denver plan, including building, operations and services. Start-up costs to implement year one of the plan are expected to be $7.7 million. Efforts in subsequent years are budgeted at $12.7 million annually. All told, the commission projects that ending homelessness in Denver in 10 years will require an increased investment of 18 percent annually by our community. It is encouraging to note that other cities across the United States are raising the necessary resources to achieve the ambitious goal of ending homelessness. Philadelphia has committed between $8 million and $17 million annually for the past seven years, while Atlanta has raised $17 million in private funds in two years, which the city is matching. The commission recognizes that the Denver community will not support an effort increasing public and private funding without tangible outcomes demonstrating progress toward the goal of eliminating homelessness. The panel will remain active during implementation of the plan to expedite, measure, monitor and report on progress and to ensure that funds are invested in solutions. The time has come to take a stand, to come together as a community to solve the crisis of homelessness. Together, we must end this tragedy in our community. The future holds hope and promise. The next 10 years will test our will, our perseverance and our commitment to change. How we meet this test will define our city and our citizens. Denver's proposed 10-year Plan To End Homelessness is available at www.denvergov.org/homelessness. Information: Paper: Denver Post, The (CO) Title: Ending homelessness not easy, but Denver has plan Author: Roxane WhiteManager, Denver Department of Human Services; chair, Denver Commission To End Homelessness Date: June 5, 2005 Section: PERSPECTIVE Page: E-01 Copyright 2005 The Denver Post Corp. Page 3 of 3