Homeless shelter in Northern Colorado to close in September

A temporary shelter for those experiencing homelessness in Northern Colorado will be closing its doors at the end of the month.

The City of Loveland said that, after several months of discussion, officials have decided to close the South Railroad Facility shelter by Sept. 30. They said the shelter was always intended to be a temporary, one-time-funded shelter. The South Railroad Facility opened in April 2023 to provide temporary overnight shelter under the City's Emergency Encampment Ban Ordinance. The temporary use permit expires at the end of the month and cannot be extended under city code.

In a statement to CBS Colorado, the city said, "Over the past several months, the City has been in discussions and made decisions regarding the current encampment ordinance and the temporary City-run shelter. We recognize that homelessness and shelter services are complex issues that affect people in many ways."

Officials said the Loveland Resource Center will continue offering daytime services and will serve as an emergency overnight shelter in severe weather. Outreach and support services will be available through the resource center and the city's partners and outreach team.

Starting on Oct. 1, the city says that if there is no shelter space available, then the encampment ordinance cannot be enforced. However, they warned that they'll still address impacts to public property according to the city's trespassing ordinance.

The city council considered a proposal on Sept. 2 that would add a sales-tax ballot measure to fund homeless services, but the proposal did not move forward. Officials said they have yet to identify short-term solutions and are continuing discussions on the matter. They encouraged residents to sign up for the Community Conversation on Homelessness on Oct. 1 to discuss the broader landscape of homeless services in the city. Officials said they are looking to schedule another community conversation in mid-October.

"Addressing homelessness requires collaboration and resources. While the City can no longer lead this effort, we remain committed to being a community partner. The focus now is bringing the community together to talk about what solutions could be possible in the short and long term," officials said.