When we open our doors each morning, we meet people who carry more than the weight of housing insecurity. Many are also living with disabilities—conditions that make daily life harder and the path to stability even steeper. What we see every day inside our shelter reflects what is happening across the country: disability and homelessness are deeply intertwined. 

Nationwide, about one in four adults lives with a disability. Yet for people without stable housing, that number climbs dramatically. In fact, federal definitions of chronic homelessness specifically recognize disability as a key factor—meaning that people who have lived without housing for long stretches, or who return again and again to homelessness, are overwhelmingly people with disabilities. 

The reasons are layered and unjust. People with disabilities experience poverty at twice the rate of people without disabilities, face higher barriers to employment and education, and often have to choose between paying rent or paying for food and medical care. Housing discrimination against people with disabilities is reported more than for any other protected class. And for those who rely on federal disability benefits, the math simply doesn’t work: in most places, monthly payments aren’t enough to afford even the smallest apartment. 

Here in Denver, we see these realities play out daily. Guests who use wheelchairs are forced to navigate buildings never designed for them. People living with mental health issues come to us after being turned away elsewhere. Mothers with chronic health conditions try to care for their children while sleeping in unstable conditions. Disability makes homelessness more likely—and homelessness makes disability harder to live with, trapping too many people in a cycle of crisis. 

At our shelter, we believe everyone deserves a space that is safe, welcoming, and accessible. That means more than a roof—it means doors wide enough for wheelchairs, bathrooms that can be used by people with mobility challenges, quiet spaces for those managing trauma, and supportive staff who understand the barriers our guests face. 

But making spaces truly accessible comes at a cost. Updating older facilities, installing adaptive equipment, and ensuring compliance with accessibility standards are investments we must make so that no one is left behind. 

If you believe, as we do, that housing and shelter should meet the needs of all people—especially those who live with disabilities—we invite you to support this work. Your gift helps us create spaces that reflect dignity, equity, and belonging for every guest who walks through our doors. 

Together, we can make sure that our community’s most vulnerable neighbors are not overlooked but welcomed and supported in spaces that honor their full humanity. 

Sources 

• Disability and Homelessness Issue Brief (Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, 2022) – Provides data on poverty rates, housing discrimination, and the shortage of affordable and accessible housing for people with disabilities. 
• Homelessness in America: Focus on Chronic Homelessness Among People with Disabilities (U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, 2018) – Offers national insights on chronic homelessness, including prevalence, health impacts, and service system costs. 
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Annual Homeless Assessment Reports (AHAR) – Federal point-in-time counts and demographic breakdowns of homelessness nationwide. 
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Statistics on disability prevalence in the U.S.