Denver opens warming stations, overnight shelter due to freezing temps and snow
DENVER — The City and County of Denver opened warming shelters, Tuesday, Nov. 29 amid freezing temperatures and a few inches of snow on the ground.
The snow is expected to end Tuesday afternoon, but Denver residents looking to get out of the cold can make use of the city’s warming stations, which are located in the recreation centers in Denver.
The recreation centers will operate as warming stations — offering water, bathrooms and a place to sit, if needed — during regular business hours. A full list of recreation centers and their hours is available here.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock also announced that the Carla Madison Recreation Center (2401 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80206) will operate as an overnight shelter. The city is setting up cots for people to sleep in at the rec center. The center will close at 7 p.m. on Nov. 29 and open the next morning at 9 a.m.
The city also noted that while not officially “warming stations,” people can visit Denver Public Library locations for a break from the cold. Find a library location near you here.
The City and County of Denver is currently reviewing its guidelines on when warming shelters will open in the city after the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment received criticism earlier this month over outdated temperature thresholds.
The warming stations and overnight shelters are especially vital for people experiencing homelessness, who are at a disproportionately high risk of hypothermia and death.
Benjamin Dunning works with Denver Homeless Out Loud, an advocacy group for people experiencing homelessness. He said that while there is still a need for “lots and lots of improvements,” Denver is “doing better than we have been for a while” in terms of helping unhoused people during extreme weather.
Dunning said the key for taking care of unhoused people is making sure they have a safe place to sleep inside. Dunning noted, though, that many people don’t necessarily feel safe in some of the overnight shelters in Denver.
“Sleeping in congregate shelters with several people is a great risk because they become an easy target for other struggling folks,” Dunning explained.
Denver’s Department of Housing Stability recommends people go to “front door” facilities if they are in urgent need of shelters. These facilities, according to the department, “offer both walk-up access and have the ability to refer (and sometimes transport) to other shelters as appropriate.”
The Department of Housing Stability recommends these front door locations:
- For individual men: Lawrence Street Community Center, 2222 Lawrence St., 303-294-0157, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, it is advised to arrive before 6 p.m. for transportation to other locations;
- Walk-up access only: Crossroads, 1901 29th St., 720-305-4640, entry from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, no transportation to other shelters from this location
- For individual women: Samaritan House, 2301 Lawrence St., 303-294-0241, 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. daily, it is advised to arrive between 4 and 4:30 p.m. for shelter or transportation to other locations
Dunning said that he would like to see Denver’s faith community “step up … especially during extreme weather.” There are hundreds of churches in Denver alone, and if they each accepted just a few unhoused people for overnight shelter, Dunning said, then they could dramatically reduce the number of people sleeping outside during dangerous weather.
For people eager to help, Dunning suggested donating cold weather gear to unhoused people, particularly high-quality cloves, coats and sleeping bags.
For more information on resources and places to donate, click here.
Kyle Cooke is the digital media manager for Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at kylecooke@rmpbs.org.