Shelters in Denver expand hours, services ahead of frigid weather this weekend
Volunteers of America Colorado services multiple shelters throughout the Denver metro area year round, but as below zero temperatures come to Denver this weekend, many were expanding their services on Friday.
For most of the year, VOA's Sinton's Sanctuary in Denver is a shelter for women over 60. But when there's a cold snap like this weekend, they welcome in women of all ages. Starting on Thursday, the shelter opened up for 24-hour services through Tuesday when temperatures are expected to rise. These services don't only help new faces, but also those who rely on the shelter every week, including resident Mary Catherine Stawinski, or MC for short.
"This isn't something at 75 somebody plans for ... but it can happen like that," Stawinski said.
After Stawinski sold her house with promises to be taken care of by her family, she says they took her money instead.
"I ended up with nothing, and he was going to pay me back, but never did. So it just, in a million years, I would have never, ever thought I'd be homeless," Stawinski explained.
So, on the coldest day this December, Stawinski was preparing to spend a night on the street.
"I was down to my last night of paying for a hotel, and it was really hard. But they said, be here at noon," Stawinski said. "It was the best thing that's ever happened to me."
At noon that day, VOA Colorado took Stawinski in from the cold -- something the shelter hopes to do for others this weekend.
"We're preparing many more meals here at Sinton's, and we'll be open for any woman that needs a place 24 hours a day," said Faustine Curry, vice president of VOA Colorado. "They started that yesterday, and it'll be through Tuesday when it starts warming up."
This weekend, the shelter is also offering showers and hygiene products for those who need, along with open beds to women and their pets to stay out of the cold.
"If a woman comes in for the weekend just to get warm, and she meets the requirements, she's over 60 and doesn't have a place to be, she's welcome to come and look at staying here more permanently until she finds a permanent location," Curry said.
While Sinton's Sanctuary is for women, VOA Colorado has additional services in the metro for other groups, including veterans. Those locations will also have extended services for the weekend.
More information about resources for shelter this weekend can be found on VOA's website. Services for areas across the state can also be found by calling 2-1-1.
"If you think of your grandmother, you wouldn't want her to be in a situation like this," Stawinski said. "And so the fact that they're here, when you're down, they lift you up. They tell you it's going to be OK. And you know what it is? I believe that now."
