Regis University will host Denver’s next safe outdoor space for people experiencing homelessness

The university in northwest Denver is partnering with the Colorado Village Collaborative and the city.
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Denver’s first safe outdoor camping site will soon open here next to First Baptist Church in Capitol Hill. Dec. 4, 2020.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Regis University will host a safe outdoor space at its northwest Denver campus for people experiencing homelessness starting June 1, the school announced Wednesday.

The private Jesuit university will partner with the Colorado Village Collaborative, the St. Francis Center and the city to create a 19,000-square-foot space at a campus parking lot at 50th Avenue and Federal Boulevard. The site will provide 24-hour staffing and shelter for up to 60 people, who will be selected by the agencies involved. The site will be open for six months.

It's the fourth safe outdoor space in Denver.

The Denver Community Church in North Capitol Hill and First Baptist Church of Denver each host a site, and one is expected to open at Park Hill United Methodist Church in June, replacing Colorado Village Collaborative's site at Denver Community Church.

In a statement Wednesday, the Rev. John P. Fitzgibbons, Regis' president, said the mission of the sites aligns with that of the Catholic faith.

"Ours is a faith that does justice, a faith that calls on us to commit ourselves to combat indifference, walk with the poor and foster dignity among all peoples," he said.

Safe outdoor spaces opened in Denver last year in response to the pandemic to provide shelter and services to people experiencing homelessness.

Correction: This story has been updated to clarify the space will open on June 1, not June 8. 

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