HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 2/22/2022 - Memorandum From Brittany Depew Re: February (Mid-Winter Season) Homelessness Update
Social Sustainability
222 Laporte Avenue
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.416.8055
MEMORANDUM
DATE: February 16, 2022
TO: Mayor Arndt and Councilmembers
THRU: Kelly DiMartino, Interim City Manager
Kyle Stannert, Deputy City Manager
Jackie Kozak Thiel, Chief Sustainability Officer
FROM: Brittany Depew, Homelessness Lead Specialist
CC: Beth Yonce, Social Sustainability Department Director
RE: February (Mid-Winter Season) Homelessness Updates
Purpose: The purpose of this memo is informational to provide Council with regular homelessness updates.
Emergency Shelter
• Fort Collins Rescue Mission – 316 Jefferson St. (main location)
o In January, 248 unique individuals for a total of 3,012 overnight stays.
o Daily average of 97 men. o Currently has capacity for up to 102 men overnight.
• Fort Collins Rescue Mission – 212 W. Mountain (overflow shelter site – winter only)
o This City-owned building was approved as an additional emergency location by Council via
Emergency Ordinance on November 2. This added overnight capacity is critical for life-safety
during the winter months.
o Operated by Fort Collins Rescue Mission.
o Opened on November 29 with a maximum capacity of 40 men.
o Since opening, has served an average of 32 men per night.
o During open hours of 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 a.m., this site is fully staffed by Rescue Mission employees
and supported by security guards from Precision Security.
• Catholic Charities
o In January, served 1,355 duplicated women and 79 family units (total of 229 people within those
family units).
o An average of 44 women and 3 families served per night in January, and no one was turned
away.
o Current capacity of 35 women is consistently surpassed, although no one has been turned away
since implementing a 24/7 shelter model in August 2021.
Outreach
• Staff from Social Sustainability will attend both Downtown Development Authority (DDA) meetings on
Thursday, February 17, with the intent of sharing updates about the overflow shelter at 212 W. Mountain,
soliciting feedback, addressing concerns, and answering general questions about the shelter site.
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Emergency Weather Shelter Plan
• This plan is activated when the National Weather Service declares a severe winter storm, declares a
severe wind chill advisory and/or predicts overnight temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
• So far, for the 2021-2022 season, the emergency weather shelter plan has been activated for six nights:
12/31, 1/1, 1/5, 2/1, 2/2, 2/3.
• Upon plan activation, staff at Outreach Fort Collins and the Murphy Center begin spreading the word
about upcoming inclement weather conditions and urging people to seek safe, warm indoor shelter.
• Shelters contract with Precision Security, as needed, to allow people from the banned list to seek shelter.
• If activations occur when Transfort is not running (Sundays or holidays), Transfort works to offer a bus
between sites, if possible, in the morning and evening on activation days. To date, transportation has
been provided during all activations, either via regular Transfort service or with the addition of a shuttle
between sites.
Prevention & Supportive Services
• The Murphy Center is currently open from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. 7 days per week for outdoor shelter;
additionally, indoor appointments (showers, computers, laundry, service providers) are available Monday-
Friday.
• Outreach Fort Collins is in the strategic planning phase of their midtown expansion, which is anticipated
to launch in Q3 of 2022. This midtown expansion was adopted as a Council priority, and $125,000 was
allocated to this expansion via the 2022 budget process.
• Sherwood House, run by the Family Housing Network, is at capacity with 7 families in their transitional
housing program.
Funding
• City staff received approval for an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) application that will provide
$760,000 to community partners via a Request for Proposals (RFP) process. These funds will be utilized
to increase case management and resource navigation, support ongoing 24/7 shelter efforts, and provide
funds to renovate an existing building into additional shelter space.
• Note: Shelter renovations are part of an ongoing conversation, and the $200,000 reserved for that project
will only be allocated once a formal commitment exists between partners. These renovations would
provide a bridge shelter option until there is a new, more permanent 24/7 shelter facility. This site would
also serve as a Seasonal Overflow Shelter location, eliminating the need for staff and community partners
to seek secondary locations each winter season (this need currently being met by the shelter at 212 W.
Mountain).
Long-Term Planning
• Following through on recommendations from the Homelessness Advisory Committee and July work
session with Council, site analysis for two potential locations (1311 N. College and 614 E. Vine) is
currently being conducted.
• The site analysis will be completed by the end of February, at which point community partners will begin
work towards site selection, engagement, and master planning.
• Staff continuing to explore potential mid-term/bridge shelter options with partners, as mentioned above.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 118BFF73-DC38-4D8E-9521-D285E7113B7F