With the upcoming closure of one of the city’s only homeless shelters, the Greeley City Council began discussions on Tuesday about what solutions it can provide to combat homelessness in the city.
Despite nearly $260,000 in additional city funding, the United Way of Weld County was unable to gather enough funds to keep its shelter open past the usual end-of-season date, April 30. With the shelter closing for the summer, many people struggling with homelessness will have nowhere else to stay.
In addition to the 60 beds United Way’s shelter provides, it also provides homeless people with showers, laundry, storage, educational classes and reserved bunks for those who are working or participating in Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous. The shelter has seen increased usage every year, with 42 additional people housed in the 2024-25 season from the year prior.
United Way provided services to 735 people over the course of this season, with 76% of them being men. United Way officials believe that the lack of women is due to Catholic Charities’ Guadalupe Community Center shelter, which has a 30-person capacity and provides 20 beds as an emergency shelter for women and families.
Councilwoman Deb Deboutez asked Ernest Cienfuegos-Baca, United Way’s vice president of community impact, how long people stay at the shelter. Though he couldn’t provide an average for this past season, some of the longest stays were around a month in previous seasons, he said.
Mayor John Gates had also asked Cienfuegos-Baca about the current state of the shelter’s residents. Cienfuegos-Baca answered it is fair to say they are all very anxious about the shelter closing soon.
“We are working very closely with them to make sure that we get them set up with some of our other resources through town,” Cienfuegos-Baca said. “If we get families that come to the shelter, we’ll send them to Guadalupe. We’re doing our very best to get them connected to other resources.”
With the shelter closing, the city’s Homeless Solutions Department has housed 90 households to date and has announced it is looking to house an additional 50 households by the end of 2025. To do this, the department has stated that it will focus on people with low to moderate needs who can get out of homelessness with quick interventions from the city.
However, as Councilman Tommy Butler mentioned during the meeting, funding will be crucial to addressing the homelessness issue in Greeley. According to Cienfuegos-Baca, having the shelter open year-round would go a long way toward solving the problem.
With budget discussions for 2026 approaching, Butler stated he would mention funding for United Way at every opportunity, saying it was his “No. 1 funding priority.”
The United Way shelter will close on April 30. Those in need of shelter can go to the Guadalupe Center, 1442 N. 11th Ave., or call 970-353-3720 to check on availability.
The city has begun to inform residents that they should only call 911 regarding homeless people if there is a fire, medical emergency or crime taking place. If residents see something illegal happening, want to report a past incident or feel uncomfortable, they should instead call the non-emergency police line at 970-350-9600.
If residents witness a homeless person who is being affected by drugs, in mental duress or seems to need help, they should call the Homeless Solutions Department Outreach team at 970-351-5005.
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