Regis University to provide homes for temporary 'Safe Outdoor Space' emergency housing facility

Safe Outdoor Space

Regis University has announced it will partner with the Colorado Village Collaborative (CVC), the Saint Francis Center and the city and county of Denver to provide humane shelter for people needing temporary emergency housing due to the pandemic.

The 19,000-square-foot Safe Outdoor Space (SOS) facility will be located in a parking lot on the University’s Northwest Denver Campus at 50^th Avenue and Federal Boulevard effective June 1. It will offer 24-hour staffed and secured shelter for up to 60 people, who are screened and selected by service agencies. The facility, which will operate for six months, will offer residents shelter, cots, food, wellness checks and assistance for finding permanent housing.

The Regis site will be the fourth SOS facility since the program was launched in 2020 by the Denver Mayor’s office.

“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,” said Regis President the Rev. John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J. “We were given the opportunity to provide a safe and secure temporary home for those suddenly cast onto the streets through no fault of their own. We embrace and welcome those who need an extra measure of human kindness and concern during these difficult times. As Pope Francis says, ‘If we do not take care of one another … we cannot heal the world.’” 

Cole Chandler, executive director of CVC, said "Safe Outdoor Spaces are safe, clean, and provide critical resources and services for our unsheltered neighbors. America was facing a housing and homelessness crisis before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that crisis has only been exacerbated in the past 12 months and its impacts will be most acutely realized by our unsheltered neighbors in the months ahead. 

“We're grateful to the leadership and support of Regis University for taking sacred action to bring justice and mercy to our sisters and brothers on the streets. We look forward to working together to leave a lasting, positive impact upon our residents, the Regis Campus, and the broader Northwest Denver community."

For area residents interested in learning more, Chandler will host an open house at an existing SOS site at 1595 Pearl Street in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood on May 8. He also will host two community information meetings via Zoom on May 15 and May 20. For information, visit Regis Safe Outdoor Space - Colorado Village Collaborative.

The first two Safe Outdoor Spaces have successfully operated in downtown Denver since December 2020. Those sites will close on June 1 and be replaced by the site at Regis University and another at Denver’s Park Hill United Methodist Church.

Colorado Village Collaborative (CVC) exists to bridge the gap between the streets and stable housing. CVC is working to significantly reduce Denver’s unsheltered homelessness population. Since its founding in 2017, it has launched four transformational housing projects, including two tiny home villages and two Safe Outdoor Spaces that have provided more than 20,000 nights of safe, dignified shelter in partnership with people coming from homelessness.

The Saint Francis Center was first established as a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado in June 1983 and has since become a mainstay in Denver’s housing and homelessness continuum. The center operates many city contracts and provides street outreach, shelter, and Permanent Supportive Housing for men and women transitioning from homelessness. The St. Francis Center will provide 24-hour staffing to the Safe Outdoor Space at Regis University.