Update: The city is opening up emergency overnight shelters Monday night, Jan. 8 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Tuesday. Temperatures are expected to hit lows of 17 degrees. Overnight temperatures this week are expected to be below 32 degrees, the current threshold for activating overnight shelters. The city said they will continue monitoring forecasts and will let those in need know whether the shelters will remain open.
With below freezing temps and possible snowfall in the forecast, Denver will open emergency overnight shelters through the weekend.
The ballroom of the Denver Navigation Campus, site of the former Doubletree hotel at 4040 Quebec St., and New Directions at 4595 Quebec St. will open from 7 p.m. Friday night through 7 a.m. Monday, Jan. 8.
Temperatures are expected to drop to 22 degrees Friday night and continue dropping to 18 and 19 degrees Saturday and Sunday night, respectively. There's a 40% chance of snow Friday night with a continued chance during the day Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. There's also a chance of snow Sunday night.
City officials said people needing shelter should start with the city's "front door" shelter facilities. Those include Lawrence Street Community Center at 2222 Lawrence St. for individual men, Samaritan House at 2301 Lawrence St. for individual women and Urban Peak at 2100 Stout St. for youth ages 15 through 20.
Once those facilities reach capacity, the city will start referring people to the St. Francis Center at 2323 Curtis St. where buses will transport people to the Navigation Campus. Those buses will operate between 6:30-9 p.m. After the last bus, individuals will be referred directly to the Campus.
Families in need of shelter should call the Connection Center at 303-295-3366.
Changes may be coming to the way the city decides when to activate the overnight shelter.
Currently, the shelters open when temperatures drop below 20 degrees, but a proposed bill at City Council would change that to 32 degrees.
Another proposed bill would prevent city officials from sweeping homeless encampments and police from making arrests for urban camping if, 48 hours before a given sweep or arrest, the NWS projects temperatures at or below the freezing point of 32 degrees.
The bills passed through the Council's Safety and Housing committee through a split vote of four to three in late December. Council members Sarah Parady, Shontel Lewis, Paul Kashmann and Council President Jamie Torres co-sponsored the bill. They face opposition from the mayor's office and other council members.
City Council will vote on the bills in the upcoming weeks.
