JULY 1 - 8, 2026
THE DEFINITIVE SOURCE FOR GRAND JUNCTION BUSINESS & COMMUNITY NEWS SINCE 1994
Deeper dive on city’s homeless numbers Brandon Leuallen
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The Business Times
n the previous article in this ongoing series, “Is Mesa County a Magnet for Homelessness?”, The Business Times compared Point-inTime homelessness data from Mesa, Garfield, Eagle, Pitkin, Montrose and Delta counties. Despite accounting for only about 44 percent of the combined population of those six counties, Mesa County accounted for approximately 72 percent of the homeless individuals counted during the 2025 Point-in-Time count. That disparity prompted a follow-up interview with Grand Junction Housing Manager Ashley Chambers and a series of questions about the unhoused data gathered by the city via survey and whether it fully explains why Mesa County’s homeless population is so disproportionate compared with neighboring communities. Those questions were at the center of the interview, which lasted more than an hour and 15 minutes, and Chambers also provided a detailed written response from the City of Grand Junction. Throughout the interview, Chambers said homelessness in Mesa County is primarily a local housing and stabilization crisis, saying a significant share of homelessness is tied to a longstanding shortage of housing and housing resources for the populations most in need. She said she believed relatively few people experiencing homelessness came from outside the area, although she acknowledged the city did not have independently verified data quantifying that number. See story on Page 4
VOLUME 33, ISSUE 26
THEBUSINESSTIMES.COM
Reeling from rough ride
Rides Bar & Grill asks Fruita for help getting back on track after stifling street construction — See story, Page 2 Krista Mahler sits at the bar at Rides Bar & Grill, which she has owned since late May 2025. Several months later, the City of Fruita began a major project on South Mesa Street, which didn’t wrap up until May this year, and Mahler said the project significantly hurt Rides’ bottom line, causing her to reduce hours of operation and delay improvements. Photo by Tim Harty.
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