As the Senior Director of Fort Collins Rescue Mission, I am excited to share our plans for a new facility that will better serve the needs of those in our community who are experiencing homelessness and poverty. At Fort Collins Rescue Mission, we know there is a growing demand for resources to address these issues in Northern Colorado, and we are committed to building a facility that can meet those needs.
If you have been to our current location on Jefferson Street, you know that our staff does a great job of making the most out of the limited space we currently have, but that more space is needed.
That’s why we are excited to be designing a new facility that will include at least 250 beds, expanded common areas, and improvements to our day center. We have outgrown our current location, and we believe that this new location will better serve the long-term needs of our community.
About the New Facility
It will provide 24/7 low barrier shelter for single men experiencing homelessness. It will also include a trauma-informed shelter and a collaborative daytime resource space. Our vision for this new building is to use it to help catalyze the existing community-wide effort to make homelessness rare, short-lived and non-recurring within Fort Collins.
We specifically designed this new facility to address the growing demand for single men’s shelter. The building will be located at the intersection of Mason Street and College Avenue, which makes it easily accessible to the guests we serve. We have worked with community leaders to develop a detailed plan for the building, including an all-weather emergency access, outdoor common space, a privacy and security fence, and more.
With 3,280 square feet of office space, 34,982 square feet of shelter space and 5,242 square feet for other uses, we’re excited to see how lives can be changed here. It will also address a common issue at our current facility: Parking. At the new shelter, we will also have ample parking for staff, volunteers and guests, with a total of 52 parking spaces.
Transforming Our Community
We believe this new facility will be transformative for the regional landscape of homelessness by significantly increasing the success rate of unhoused neighbors attaining permanent housing. We are passionate about addressing the needs of people experiencing homelessness in Fort Collins.
Here at the Mission, we understand that homelessness can happen to anyone, and that’s why we are committed to providing shelter, meals and life-changing programs to people experiencing homelessness. With our new facility, we aim to better serve our community by providing a safe and supportive environment that helps our guests return to society as self-sufficient citizens.
We are so grateful for the support we have received from the community, donors, and volunteers who are helping us make this new facility a reality. Your generosity is what allows us to continue our mission of addressing the needs of people experiencing homelessness in Fort Collins.
– Seth Forwood, Senior Director of Fort Collins Rescue Mission
