The City and County of Denver is providing this daily update on the ongoing activity to support migrant sheltering.
The Emergency Operations Center is working to transition migrants from emergency shelters in City facilities to partner facilities that still will be operated by City staff. Supporting this effort, a new migrant shelter opened today at a partner facility. A city emergency migrant shelter, located at a recreation center, also closed today.
As of 12:00 p.m. on Friday, January 27:
- Number of Migrants that Arrived Overnight: 0
- Total Number of Migrants Served by the City since Dec. 9: approximately: 4,237*
- Number of Migrants Sheltered in City Emergency Shelters: 37
- Number of Migrants Sheltered in Partner Emergency Shelters: 951
*Note: The Emergency Operations Center recently transitioned to a new record keeping system for managing the arrival of migrants at shelters. This transition from manual spreadsheets to automated forms has resulted in the removal of duplicate records.
Update on Cold Weather Planning
Frigid temperatures are forecast in the region Saturday night through Wednesday morning. Denver is encouraging everyone to stay inside and offering a 24/7 warming center for anyone who needs a warm place to stay during the storm.
The McNichols Civic Center Building, 144 W Colfax Ave., will continue to operate as a 24-hour warming center through Wednesday morning, Feb. 1. Anyone who is in need of a warm place to stay is welcome at McNichols. People experiencing homelessness may also access shelter by going to the city’s “front door” access points for shelter.
In addition, we encourage anyone looking for a short-term place to warm up during the day between Saturday and Wednesday, visit any open recreation center or Denver Public Library branch during regular business hours. Double-check hours in advance.
Temperatures near zero are dangerous, especially combined with other health conditions, and can lead to a higher risk of hypothermia, frostbite, and carbon monoxide poisoning, as people do what they can to stay warm. Dangerous wind chills are also forecast with the storm. Everyone is suggested to seek shelter and limit time out of doors beginning on Saturday evening. Find more tips related to cold weather safety from the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE) online.
The Department of Housing Stability (HOST) and its partners are conducting outreach to unhoused residents and has information available at www.denvergov.org/findshelter.
MEDIA UPDATE: The City and County of Denver’s Joint Information Center will be activated and able to respond to media inquiries from Monday through Friday only between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will be closed during the weekend. If there is important and/or breaking news, we will provide additional updates and be available on weekends to provide information as needed.
Starting Jan. 21, this daily update will be sent Monday-Friday only.
More migrant sheltering news
Donations
We have limited space to store donations. Please observe the following before you make a donation:
- We can only accept physical item donations during designated times.
- Please ONLY provide items listed below as highest need.
- Personal hygiene items donated must be UNOPENED and NOT EXPIRED.
- Donation needs and drop-off locations/hours are updated frequently.
- Please do not drop off or offer donations, including food, at shelter sites.
West Side Donation Site
The new donation site at 1011 S. Federal Blvd. is accepting donations on Tuesdays and Wednesdays through the end of January. Drop-off times at this location are Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 12-5 p.m.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This donation site is not the well-known Little Saigon restaurant; it is the Little Saigon Community Donation Site in a vacant building off Federal. Additionally, the Iglesias Ciudad de Dios donation site has closed and is no longer accepting donations.
Volunteers Needed: The new donation site at 1011 S. Federal needs volunteers to help sort donations. Volunteers are needed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting at 10 a.m. and concluding around 6 p.m. Every hour helps—just show up if you are able to help!
Temple Emanuel Donation Site
Our original donation site located at Temple Emanuel is still accepting donations on Mondays from 5-8 p.m.
Where to Drop Off Donations:
Temple Emanuel
51 Grape St.
Denver, CO 80220
Directions
Enter the parking lot on Grape St. and 1st Ave. at the north entrance. Enter under the portico from the north side. Volunteers will be waiting to help you unload your donations. Once you have dropped off your donations, please continue to exit through the south side of the parking lot.
Items needed – updated 1/15/2023
Items currently in high need include:
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrushes
- Travel-sized shampoo and conditioner
- Soap
Items donated need to be new and unopened. Used items will not be accepted or used.
We also need of the following items. Please only bring items listed. Storage space is limited, and we will update this list with additional needs when they arise:
- New or very gently used men’s winter clothes (small and medium only)
- New socks, underwear/boxers, jackets, hats, gloves, and sweatpants
- Backpacks and/or medium size duffel bags
- Large and XL men's belts
- Men's shoes and work boots size 7-10
- Shower sandals
Monetary donations can be made any time at the following locations:
Employment Opportunities
The city is accepting applications for 15 Short-Term Shelter Leads and 85 Bilingual Shelter Assistant positions open to support the migrant sheltering effort. All positions are on-call and may have routine or variable work schedules. Positions work a minimum of 24 hours and up to 39 hours weekly. Bilingual/Spanish skills are needed, but not required. To apply for the Shelter Lead Position, members of the public can visit bit.ly/shelterlead and to apply for the Bilingual Shelter Assistant Position, members of the public can visit bit.ly/ShelterAssistant.