Denver proposes $12.8 million for eviction prevention in 2027

Denver’s Department of Housing Stability proposed a $192 million budget for 2027, including $12.8 million for housing-prevention services. The department projects those programs would serve about 12,500 households and aims to keep completed evictions flat. The proposal was presented at a Sept. 24 City Council hearing, where the department outlined its budget.

The department listed $4.5 million for eviction-prevention financial assistance, $4.5 million for property-tax relief, $2.5 million for eviction legal services, $350,000 for foreclosure assistance, $272,000 for housing navigation and counseling, and $577,000 for administration.

Councilmember Gonzalez Gutierrez asked why budget materials appeared to group the Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance program with other housing assistance, and compared the $4.5 million shown for the program with roughly $12 million dedicated to it the previous year. Department staff said the $4.5 million was direct funding to providers. They described a roughly $4.7 million budget-book line as including about $200,000, primarily for application and data software.

Councilmember Flynn asked which programs were most effective at keeping people housed and requested updated results for eviction legal defense. The department’s deputy director said the program serves about 3,500 people annually and described its success as very good, but did not provide outcome figures at the hearing. Department staff said a forthcoming Harvard study would inform a data-driven procurement of prevention services in 2027.

The department’s goal refers to completed evictions, not court filings. The City Council did not vote on the proposed budget at the hearing. Finance officials had told the council at a Sept. 21 hearing that a workshop was scheduled for early October, a revised proposal was expected in mid-October, and final passage was required in late November, according to the hearing.