Denver City Wire

Kristi Burton Brown, the chairwoman of the Colorado GOP, said high cost of living, high inflation and liberal policies are contributing to the homelessness crisis in Colorado.

Colorado's homeless population grew by more than any other state between 2007 and 2021, increasing by 266% during that time, Axios Denver reported, citing data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“Homelessness in Colorado is at crisis levels,” Burton Brown, chairwoman of Colorado GOP, tweeted. “One factor is our high cost of living and a 15.6% inflation rate that’s the highest in the nation. Liberal policies are hurting families across Colorado and making the crisis worse.”

Colorado's cost of living is higher than the national average at 105.3 compared to the national average of 100, according to World Population Review.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics issued its latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) summary on Sept. 13, which found that the rate of inflation over the last 12 months stands at 8.3%. In the last year, food costs have risen by 11.4%, energy costs have increased by 23.8%, gas prices have risen by 25.6% and the cost to purchase a new vehicle has increased by 10.1%.

President Joe Biden downplayed inflation during a recent 60 Minutes interview, stating that the inflation rate has "hardly" risen, and that the month-to-month rate is "up just an inch, hardly at all," Fox Business reported. 

Interviewer Scott Pelley pointed out, "It's the highest inflation rate, Mr. President, in 40 years." Biden responded, "I got that. But guess what we are? We're in a position where for the last several months, it hasn't spiked, it is just barely, it's been basically even. And in the meantime, we created all these jobs."

Economic growth in Colorado is expected to flatten for the first time in more than a decade, Axios reported. Unemployment in the state is expected to rise to 4.3% in 2023. The state legislature's chief economist, Greg Sobetski, called Colorado's economic situation "precarious."

The Common Sense Institute reported that the average Colorado household had to spend an extra $821 in both June and July this year because of inflation.