October 12th 2024.
The Comitis Crisis Center, a well-known homeless shelter in Aurora, is about to undergo a major change. Starting October 31st, the shelter will no longer provide beds for single adults. Instead, it will shift its focus to serving families experiencing homelessness. Bob Dorshimer, the CEO of the shelter's parent organization, Mile High Behavioral Healthcare, explained that this change was necessary as the shelter struggled every winter to accommodate families with limited space. He also stated that there has always been a need for a larger family shelter in the area, and they are now able to provide that for the families in east Denver, Adams, and Arapahoe counties.
The funding for addressing homelessness in Aurora has been inconsistent in recent years, causing challenges for the city. However, the city is currently working on opening its own "homeless navigation campus" near the Montbello neighborhood in Denver. This has led to the decision to convert most of the Comitis building, located near the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, into a family shelter. This change plays to Mile High's strengths as an organization, as they have been working to expand their services for children and families. Earlier this year, they opened the Family Preservation Center in north Aurora to serve young people living in poverty along East Colfax Avenue.
However, the City Council of Aurora has reduced their financial support for the organization, cutting grant funding and declining to make up for the difference when retail marijuana sales, which were taxed to fund the grants, declined last winter. Dorshimer explained that the lost marijuana tax money primarily went towards services for single adults at Comitis, in addition to funding from other sources such as counties, the state, and private foundations. However, these sources will now sustain the shelter's new primary mission of aiding families. Dorshimer also noted that while there may be a void in one area, they have been able to fill it in with their focus on helping families.
This change will result in a decrease in the number of shelter beds available for single adults as the winter approaches. While Comitis will still operate up to 20 beds for single adults receiving substance abuse treatment or medical respite, the shelter will be directing current clients to other locations outside of Aurora, as there are currently no shelters in the city. At the moment, Comitis has around 75 unrestricted beds. According to Matt Brown, a spokesperson for the City of Aurora, the navigation campus is expected to open in late 2025. In the meantime, the Aurora Day Resource Center, managed by homelessness service provider Advance since October 1st, will continue to offer emergency cold-weather shelter. Advance was recently awarded a $2 million contract to operate the city's navigation campus. The city's cold-weather outreach team will also continue to assist homeless residents in accessing emergency shelter.
Comitis will be temporarily closing in November as the shelter prepares to accept families. It will reopen on December 1st, with one floor dedicated to an emergency family shelter and another for temporary family housing. Unlike other family shelters, Comitis will be accepting teenage boys and adult men, setting it apart from similar shelters in the Denver area. This decision reflects the organization's commitment to keeping families together. Before closing, the staff at Comitis will be hosting a "goodbye dinner" for current shelter clients, assuring them that they will always be there for them. To stay updated on more news in Colorado, sign up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.
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