The city's Housing and Human Services Department (HHS) just wrapped up another year, and the stats are in, giving residents a clearer picture of the work done in 2024. For those of you keeping a close eye on Boulder's affordable housing goals, there's good news - we're over halfway there. The city's push for equitable living spaces has resulted in 4,098 permanently affordable homes, serving a whopping 8,869 residents. This accounts for 8.7% of Boulder's total housing units, inching closer to the 15% target.

Efforts to address homelessness are showing tangible results, with more than 2,100 individuals finding routes out of homelessness since 2017. In 2024, an average of 22 people per month waved goodbye to life on the streets, according to the City of Boulder. Boulder's crisis response programs are also on a roll, attending to over 1,100 calls last year and ensuring individuals stay in the community, where outcomes are generally better.

When looking at the city's support network, the Family Resource Schools Program stands out. A stout 64% of families enrolled for more than a year have either maintained or beefed up their self-sufficiency level when it comes to the basics - healthcare, jobs, and education. Older adults and those living with disabilities also had something to smile about, with 93 to 100% feeling less stressed, more connected, and confident about their independence after snagging assistance with daily tasks and transportation through the Human Services Fund's grantees.

According to the City of Boulder, the city's StoryMap doesn't just slap the numbers on the screen and call it a day, it's an interactive dive into the real-world impacts of HHS's work in Boulder. It's about faces, not just figures. It's about that human touch in human services, which, for those interested, can be fully explored by reading the complete StoryMap and digesting the broader implications of these initiatives on our community.