A new survey is out on Denver’s homeless population and it’s a very sorry state of affairs.

More than 9,091 people in the seven-county Denver metro area — including 3,261 children — did not have a permanent place to live the night of Jan. 23. ….Nearly 60 percent of the homeless in metro Denver are families with children.

As to causes of Denver homelessness, the report found:

“Many families and individuals are vulnerable to economic disaster in many forms and are becoming homeless because of increasing housing costs, difficulties in obtaining health insurance to guard against a healthcare crisis, job loss or inability to find work at a livable wage.”

As we gear up for elections in November, we ought to demand the candidates provide us with concrete plans to alleviate this shameful travesty.