Residents of the Rodeway Inn have a path to housing, according to The Gathering Place, a nonprofit that operated the non-congregate shelter for women, transgender and nonbinary people.
This is good news for the Gathering Place, which raised concerns about how the city was managing the closure of the Rodeway Inn after not renewing its lease, leaving residents uncertain about whether they would have to return to the streets.
The city initially announced the Rodeway Inn would be shut down in August but has since extended the lease through sometime in September. This week, the Gathering Place handed the reins to the Salvation Army, who will operate the shelter until it closes later this month.
Since 2020, the Rodeway Inn shelter connected more than 140 people with permanent housing.
Most current residents of the shelter have either secured permanent housing or are on a pathway to finding a full-time place to live.
"Over the past few months, people have pulled together to do an incredible job of making the best use of the state and city resources offered for those experiencing homelessness. As a result of this work, nearly 100% of the Rodeway Inn's residents have moved into long-term housing or are on a pathway to long-term housing," said Gathering Place CEO Megan Devenport, in a statement. "This was a coordinated effort by our team, The Salvation Army, and the City's Department of Housing Stability. We're incredibly grateful for those who stepped up and helped during this tumultuous time."
Those residents who do not have housing after the Rodeway Inn closes will be re-sheltered at the Best Western in Central Park, when it opens as a shelter later this month.
Denver Housing Authority purchased the Best Western for long-term permanent housing. While that's being prepared for use, it will serve as temporary shelter.
Mayor Mike Johnston has touted the project, which was in the works before his administration came into office, as part state of emergency declaration over homelessness and his effort to house 1,000 people by the end of the year.
While the Best Western is retrofitted for permanent microunits, it will serve as a non-congregate shelter. The Salvation Army will operate that space in the foreseeable future.
The Gathering Place still has criticisms of the transition.
Though the outcome for residents has been largely positive, Davenport still has concerns about the way the transition was handled by the city and how residents, who had received gender-specific services, have been harmed by so much uncertainty about their future.
The Rodeway Inn limited who could take shelter there, in an effort to keep women, nonbinary and trans people safe. Davenport worries that the all-gender shelter at the Best Western temporary housing could have a negative impact on people who felt safe at the Rodeway Inn.
"While we celebrate the wins, I'm worried that the anxiety and stress caused by the last several months will have lasting impacts on residents and staff alike," she says. "We know the people most harmed by this closure are the least resourced to bounce back. I'm concerned about how this could impact the long-term sustainability of the new housing folks have moved into."
