By order of Sheriff Darren Weekly, Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in place for unincorporated areas of Douglas County. Ordinance No. O-012-004 restricts open fires, open burning, and the use of fireworks in the unincorporated areas of Douglas County. Additional information on fire restrictions stages can be located at the Douglas County Emergency Management website.
More than 300 people found help through HEART over the last year
Posted on August 19, 2025 2025Homeless InitiativeNews and Events
In 2024, Douglas County functionally ended homelessness. What does that mean? It means the County’s programs dedicated to helping those experiencing homelessness are keeping up with the local need – and new summer counts confirm that is still true a year later.
Every summer, Douglas County’s Homeless Engagement and Resource Team (HEART) completes a Point in Time (PIT) count – an unduplicated count on a single night of the people in a community who are experiencing homelessness.
The 2025 count, completed on July 28, revealed:
The survey showed that just four people were sleeping outside completely unsheltered, which is down from six in January 2025 and from 43 in summer 2022 – right before the Douglas County Homeless Initiative began.
“Our homeless initiative is a partnership of dozens of experts who lead with compassion and a commitment to serving people,” said Commissioner Abe Laydon, Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners and Founder and Chair of the Douglas County Homeless Initiative. “Our focus on Compassion, Code Enforcement, Community Services and Communication – what we call the Four C’s – is working, and we’re so thankful for the dedication of our HEART navigators, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and our community partners as we work together to solve the complex issue of homelessness, which is growing in other communities, but, I’m proud to say, is shrinking in Douglas County.”
For the first time since collecting summer PIT data in 2022, the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Lone Tree is zero, marking a significant accomplishment for their city.
“In Lone Tree, we’re proud to stand with Douglas County and our neighboring cities in helping the homeless,” said Mayor Marissa Harmon. “Each person who finds stability is a win for all of us. We’ll keep doing our part to support everyone on their path to hope and a better life. Together, we can make a real difference.”
Both Commissioner Laydon and Mayor Harmon attribute this success to the work of the Homeless Initiative and HEART navigators.
In 2022, the Douglas County Homeless Initiative launched HEART and the “Handouts Don’t Help” Campaign. HEART is a street outreach co-responder model – a navigator paired with law enforcement – which helps ensure public safety and directs those experiencing homelessness to community services with the goal of self-sufficiency.
From summer 2024 to summer 2025, HEART made 676 contacts; 214 refused services, but 331 people received the help they needed:
The “Handouts Don’t Help” campaign deployed 70 street signs and the use of other marketing across multiple platforms to discourage citizens from handing money out of car windows in the middle of traffic, which isn’t safe for the giver or the receiver, and redirecting those funds to local nonprofits.
Citizens have listened and are now donating directly to the Douglas County Community Foundation Homeless Relief Fund where citizens can be assured that 100% of the donations they make are going directly to trusted nonprofits that provide services and supply basic needs to people experiencing homelessness.
So far, more than $18,000 has been raised by the campaign and given to nonprofits.
For more information on the Homeless Initiative, visit our webpage.
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