Denver area severe weather shelter learns lessons, celebrates successes after first storm without shelter network
As a heavy weekend snowstorm gives way to higher temperatures, winter is not arriving just yet in the Denver metro area. But the first storm was a good test for nonprofit organizations in Jefferson County that are experiencing a new normal after the closure of the Severe Weather Shelter Network.
Mission Arvada is one such program working with The Rising Church and Spirit of Christ to figure out what the rest of the year might look like.
What's typically a quiet gym in The Rising was much busier on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Bags of blankets sit ready for laundry while tables are bussed and cleaned. Karen Cowling helps run Mission Arvada and said they had a good amount of foot traffic for the days and nights they were open.
"We were open for three nights and we had 35, 35 and 39 [people each night]," she told CBS News Colorado.
In many ways, the work was a test run of the winter ahead.
"I definitely felt like it was a success," Cowling explained. "We have some things to work through. The very first night we opened on Wednesday night our boiler room flooded."
That will be a $5,800 improvement as well as some electrical updates that will need to be made in the gym as Mission Arvada contends with more potential days of being open. Volunteers were able to fully staff the venue and they had overnight availability for vulnerable populations who weren't able to. For their part, they handle most of the northern area of the County while other nonprofits, including RecoveryWorks in Lakewood, handle the central and southern portion of Jeffco.
"We couldn't do it all," she said, "We're just covering the north area. We're grateful that we're able to do it. We're grateful for the volunteers that helped us."
As many expressed gratitude to Cowling and others for a warm meal and a roof over their head as Denver got pounded with the first major snow of the season.
"They said that if they didn't have this, that they'd be sleeping in the carport or the laundromat," she said; "Places that aren't meant for human habitation."
Now comes the additional work of continuing to get volunteers, work on a rotation of churches and spaces that can be utilized and additional funding to support building improvements and help keep those populations safe when nature turns dangerous.
If you'd like to donate to Mission Arvada and their work this winter, there is a link to donate on their website via Colorado Gives. You can find it here.
