Denver Mayor Mike Johnston released a new report this week detailing the outcomes of Denver’s ambitious 2024 goals. The report highlights the city’s work to deliver a vibrant, affordable, and safe city for all.
“In 2024, we turned bold goals into significant progress for our city,” said Mayor Mike Johnston. “We delivered the largest one-year reduction in street homelessness in recorded history, achieved a sharp drop in shootings, and ignited a new era of downtown revitalization – all laying the groundwork for an even brighter future for our city. Thanks to the incredible work of our city teams and community partners, our momentum is strong as we continue to work towards a vibrant, affordable, and safe Denver for all.”
At the beginning of 2024, Mayor Johnston outlined bold, ambitious goals to improve city services and deliver a vibrant, affordable, and safe Denver for everyone. Throughout the year, city staff from every department worked together to break down barriers, encourage innovation and creativity, and achieve these goals. Due to the hard work of city team members and partners, Denver has made significant progress on every goal.
Highlights from the report:
- Achieved both Affordable Denver goals, including final 2024 data showing Denver delivered the largest drop in street homelessness in recorded history
- Achieved both Safe Denver goals, including significant improvements in reducing shootings citywide
- Achieved Vibrant Denver goal by unlocking historic funding to ignite a new era of downtown revitalization
- Made strong progress on Great Government goals by streamlining city processes to provide world-class services for residents
Since entering office in July 2023, Mayor Johnston has made improving city services and delivering noticeable results a hallmark of his administration. In addition to driving forward the overarching 2024 goals, the City and County of Denver continued to improve the services Denverites use every day.
In December, Mayor Johnston announced that Denver had successfully ended the cycle of street homelessness for veterans, ensuring every single veteran in Denver has access to a private, safe, and stable place to sleep. The city also made broad safety improvements, including an auto theft reduction strategy that reduced auto theft by 30% and targeted strategies to improve street safety and reduce traffic fatalities. In 2024, Denver was one of the only cities in the country to transition away from an emergency response to the newcomer crisis and develop a sustainable, long-term plan without major budget impacts. Finally, the city continued to make it easier for residents to access the services they deserve by launching My Friend Ben, an online tool that makes it easier than ever for residents to determine which benefits they are eligible for and apply for those benefits.
Read the full 2024 goals report here.
