HousingWednesday, November 11
Denver is considering closing the Crossroads shelter within a year
The AM Denver team
If you or someone you know stays in a Denver shelter, this one matters. The Department of Housing Stability (HOST) is considering closing Crossroads, the 300-bed shelter in Five Points, in the next year. Department head Cole Chandler confirmed it in a City Council committee meeting about a one-year contract for Urban Alchemy to run the shelter.
Crossroads would get a one-year contract, not three
- 300
- beds at Crossroads in Five Points
- 1 year
- proposed Urban Alchemy contract to run Crossroads
- 3 years
- length of similar contracts, as at the 48th Avenue Men's Shelter
Source: Denverite
"There would be no plan to close Crossroads without a plan to replace those beds," Chandler said. Nothing is final, and the contract could be extended another year. He promised to bring more information to the council before any closure, and the city's real estate office is hunting for another site.
- Operator since 1983: the Salvation Army
- Bid winner: Urban Alchemy, a California-based nonprofit
- Cold-weather shelter planned this year: 400 beds, later cut in half
Space is already tight. 9NEWS reports Denver's shelters are 96% full, and while city officials say fewer people are sleeping on the streets, advocates warn that limited shelter space and slow housing placements remain challenges.
Denver's shelters are 96% full
96%Share of Denver's shelter space that is full
Source: 9NEWS
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Share of Denver's shelter space that is full | 96% |