Denver City Council approved a 10-year, $20 million lease Monday night for a new homeless shelter on 48th Street, which could host up to 450 people, though it’s unclear when the site could open.
The council approved the lease unanimously and without conversation on a consent agenda, denoting a lack of controversy surrounding the measure.
The shelter site will be located at 4600 E. 48th Ave., and will be funded mostly through federal CARES Act dollars. It’s meant to supplement more shelter beds as city officials have recently closed other congregate shelters around Denver.
But before the site can open, the building needs new restrooms, showers, heating and air conditioning improvements and more, said Derek Woodbury, spokesperson for Denver’s Department of Housing Stability.
The shelter will be just east of the Salvation Army’s existing shelter on 48th Avenue in Northeast Park Hill and it’s partially meant to compensate for lost space after city officials closed down the congregate shelter at the National Western Complex in early August.
At the same time, city officials have been working to open Denver’s first temporary sanctioned outdoor space for more people experiencing homelessness. But no site has been seriously suggested as a viable option for the first camp. Meanwhile, city officials continue to break up existing, illegal encampments, contrary to federal recommendations and without proper justification, some experts have said.