Agency News

Repurposed Facility Addresses Homelesness

By: Rupa Venkatesh and Amanda Peterson, CPRP, City of Northglenn

The City of Northglenn recently opened a brand new, 87,770 square foot recreation center, senior center and theatre. This new facility replaced the city’s original recreation center, which opened in 1975. Although we have big plans for redevelopment of the site in the future, the move left the former recreation building temporarily vacant. The old building no longer met the community’s recreation needs, but it is still structurally sound, safe and warm. The city’s newly-formed Crisis Response Unit (CRU), led by Assiscitant to the City Manager Rupa Venkatesh and Program Manager Jessica Hulse, has been working closely with our parks staff and our police department to address the impacts that homelessness has had on our parks and public spaces. Without housing or other long-term resources available, CRU had a very difficult time providing support to our residents who are experiencing homelessness. To address this concern – one that nearly every community in the region is facing – the city partnered with the Denver Rescue Mission (DRM) to repurpose the old facility as temporary housing. After just a few months of work to create partnerships, seek funding, adopt an emergency service resolution, conduct community outreach, address fire code needs, develop a service model, and gain Council buy-in, the temporary winter housing program opened on December 15, 2021. The facility will operate from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. from December 2021 through March 2022 with a capacity of 25 people experiencing homelessness (PEH). The program is operated utilizing the expertise of DRM and funded entirely by Adams County. The former gymnasium has been divided into men’s and women’s areas, the locker rooms provide showers and lockers to keep belongings, and the weight room has been converted into a community dining area. With generous community support, meals are prepared off-site and brought in ready to heat and serve. Twenty of the 25 spots are available to those who are working or participating in an educational or job training program during the day. These individuals can use the facility as a safe space to sleep throughout the entire four-month period, allowing the opportunity to continue working, while also accessing resources through CRU, Adams County outreach workers, and DRM, with the goal of finding permanent housing by spring. The remaining five slots are reserved for the Northglenn Police Department as a drop-off location should they encounter anyone unhoused in the middle of the night when other shelters are closed for intake. DRM will determine if it is an appropriate place for them to stay for the night and CRU will assess their qualifications to either enter the program or find them more appropriate shelter for the next night. One resident recently stated, “I love seeing Northglenn taking initiative to provide equity to those who need it most. Makes me feel so proud to live here.” We’re proud of this effort, and hope that this program is a model that can be expanded throughout the region. If you would like to learn more about how we used an abandoned building to help fill a need for temporary housing, please contact Rupa at rvenkatesh@ northglenn.org.