Photos from inside Aurora's Navigation Campus for homeless raise community concerns

It's been two months since Aurora's Regional Navigation Campus opened. It was designed to be a fresh start, a safe place for people experiencing homelessness to sleep and connect with services. Now, there are concerns about the conditions inside the facility located at 15500 E. 40th Avenue, which used to be a hotel and convention center.

The Aurora City Council approved two items this week to support campus operations, providing $140,868 in grant funds to Advanced Pathways, the nonprofit operating the campus. The funding will be used for staffing, including case management, and public safety support, such as security.

Aurora resident, Kristin Mallory, spoke at the council meeting on Monday. She says photos shared with her by a guest inside the facility show conditions that fall short of what the city promised.

The pictures show water on the floor near extension cords and outlets, soiled towels on the floor, food waste, and bathrooms in disarray.

"There are essentially cots stuffed in doorways," Mallory said. "Overall, unappealing photos of a place that we were told was going to be a dignified space for our unhoused neighbors."

CBS Colorado went to the campus on Wednesday to speak with officials. City officials did not allow them inside because they said they wanted to protect the privacy of guests and not disturb operations. They added that people who are staying here can have guests if they make an appointment.

"There is a reason they're not letting you inside," Mallory suspected. "Essentially, we were sold a bill of goods, and they're not delivering."

The city stressed they have nothing to hide.

Jessica Prosser, Aurora's Director of Housing and Community Services, said the campus is serving about 300 people on average each night.

"Things are going well," Prosser said. "We've gotten lots of positive feedback that this facility feels safer and cleaner than some of the other shelters in the region."

The campus is roughly two months into operations, and the operator is still staffing up and putting procedures in place. Prosser also acknowledged that the building is still finishing construction, which she said has caused some disturbances, including with the bathrooms. She said construction is expected to wrap up by the end of February.

A sewage backup occurred late last week and over the weekend in the tier 1 emergency shelter area due to pipe blockages and holes discovered in the piping.

"This building is old. It was built in the 70s," Prosser said, adding that issues have surfaced now that the building is operating at higher capacity after renovations.

She said contractors and the operator are working to address the issue, and that guests have been using restrooms in other parts of the facility while repairs are underway. The city hopes to identify the full scope of the problem by the end of the week, with repairs expected to begin next week.

Accountability for the operator's performance will be enforced through the existing operator agreement, which includes performance measures and monthly and quarterly reporting requirements.

Prosser said city staff also meet weekly with Advanced Pathways and have outreach workers inside the facility nearly daily.

If the operator is not meeting expectations, Prosser said the city would provide written and verbal feedback and work with the operator on a plan to correct issues. The organization is being given about a six-month runway to fully meet requirements.

Jim Goebelbecker, CEO of Advanced Pathways, said the campus is expanding services compared to what the organization previously provided through the Aurora Day Center.

"When we were operating the Aurora Day Center, we had about 100 people staying overnight. Now we have over 300 people staying a night," Goebelbecker said.

He said that the increase comes with challenges. 

"We want to be able to provide a dignified experience for everyone who's here as a guest," he said.

AP is working closely with the city and contractors to coordinate repairs and improve services such as laundry. The additional funding will allow Advanced Pathways to hire more staff and meet with guests more regularly.

He says the campus is still in its early stages and is working through growing pains.

"We really wanted to get the facility open before the cold weather season, and so that's why we pushed to open it in November, knowing that the operations wouldn't be fully complete until into the winter," explained Prosser.

Critics wonder if it was worth it.

"If we couldn't promise people a dignified place to sleep, then they just shouldn't have opened," said Mallory.

Mallory said accountability should focus on immediate improvements to ensure guests have safe conditions, even if that means the city temporarily shifts resources to other options.

She plans to stay in contact with the guest who reached out and continue pushing city leaders for action.

"Every day that we don't resolve these problems is a day that people are living without dignity," she said.

City staff have said they will track performance metrics and report back to the Aurora City Council through monthly and quarterly reporting.