Fort Collins Rescue Mission vacated its temporary overnight shelter for men experiencing homelessness at the end of April, reopening its downtown shelter at the corner of Jefferson and Linden streets.
But the Rescue Mission s return to a building that was cramped even before health restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic further cut its capacity required leaders adoption of a new set of tactics.
Instead of housing men on one side and women on the other as an overnight shelter and forcing people to leave during the day, the Rescue Mission created what the city has long needed and rarely had: a 24/7 shelter where people experiencing homelessness can get two hot meals a day, access services and have a bed for the night.