DENVER — Denver Rescue Mission’s 250 beds have been filled every night in recent days.
“During the cold snap that we saw back [on] Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and into Thursday, our services were stretched as far as we could go,” said Denver Rescue Mission spokesperson Stephen Hinkle.
With the ongoing cold, Hinkle said staff has been working nonstop.
“Unfortunately, homelessness has been increasing in the city in the last few years, so the need is pretty significant,” he added.
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Ahead of forecasted frigid temperatures again this weekend, the City of Denver has activated the Denver Coliseum as a cold weather shelter to shelter people experiencing homelessness.
The Coliseum will open on Saturday at 3 p.m. and remain open until Thursday, Feb. 20 at 11 a.m.
The Coliseum is one of several shelter sites activated by the city to provide warmth.
“ When [shelters are] open for a long period of time, you see more and more people decide to come in. And now that we've gone to a 24/7 model, people are more willing to come inside for a longer period of time there if they know that they don't have to leave the next morning if they can just leave their stuff there,” said Jon Ewing, a spokesperson with the Denver mayor’s office.
Ewing said the timing of shelter activations is crucial as we head into the long weekend.
“It allows you to make things more comfortable and much more livable in other sites. So if you're at capacity at another [site], guess what? It feels better if you move 20 people to another open site. And so it makes everything better for everyone,” he said.
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Here’s where you can find cold weather shelter across the Denver metro
The City of Denver is communicating with its partners, including the Denver Rescue Mission, to spread the word about shelter openings.
“It makes it quite a beautiful thing to see the community support and that the city is willing to, you know, provide one more location to get people inside,” said Hinkle. “The sooner they can get inside, the better that the chances are they're going to stay safe, warm and secure.”
Advocates for the unhoused told Denver7 they rely heavily on your support to make this all happen, whether it's sharing information with someone who may need shelter, volunteering, or making a financial donation to a local rescue mission.
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