What The Annual Homeless Survey Looks Like For Colorado’s Wealthiest Suburb

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Photo: Denver Homeless 1 | Cart near Platte
A shopping cart rests near a temporary homeless camp by the 31st Street Bridge near the South Platte River outside of downtown Denver on Friday, April 1, 2016.

The Metro Denver Homeless Initiative kicks off its annual homeless survey Monday night. Volunteers across seven counties in the Denver area will count the number of people sleeping on the streets or in shelters.

The count will include Douglas County, which is commonly listed as one of the wealthiest counties in America. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a homeless population, according to Rand Clark, the county’s community services supervisor.

In the last few years, Douglas County has worked to increase the services it offers to people experiencing homelessness. Up until recently, there were no shelters in the area but two years ago the faith-based organization, Winter Shelter Network was founded.

Clark, who has participated in the count for six years, spoke to Colorado Matters about what homelessness looks like for Douglas County.