New regional youth shelter to provide critical services to youth in need

A new shelter in Northern Colorado will offer essential services to youth and young adults ages 15-20 who are on their own and in need of immediate support.

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs announced the award of $4.7 million dollars to build and launch the shelter, which will be located at 814 E. 16 Street in Loveland, the former site of Thompson School District’s Monroe Early Childhood Center.

Collaborative partners for the project include Thompson School District, Poudre School District, The Matthews House, Thompson Education Foundation, Larimer County and several local nonprofit organizations.

The new overnight shelter and daytime drop-in center will address the needs of unaccompanied youth and provide trauma-informed care to support their mental health, help them stay in school and graduate, and provide enrichment activities to build a more inclusive community. The shelter will serve about 25 individuals on an overnight basis, as well as 15-20 people for drop-in support, and will address a longtime gap in services for youth and young adults in the community. Currently, infrastructure to support housing insecurity in the region is built around the needs of adults. The nearest youth shelters are 45 to 60 miles away and out of reach for many due to limited public transportation.

Nicole Armstrong, executive director of The Matthews House, said they are honored to be lead operators of the facility and noted that as youth service providers for 17 years, they understand the unique needs and vulnerabilities of the youth. 

“We will support the immediate shelter needs and provide essential services, including education, employment assistance, and life skills training. Our primary goal is to create an inclusive and empowering space where youth and young adults can find stability, guidance, and resources to help them overcome challenges and build a brighter future,” said Armstrong. “Collaboration and partnership have been and will continue to be central to our work. By leveraging the expertise and resources of our partners, we aim to create a network of support that extends beyond the shelter walls and empowers youth to thrive in all areas of their lives and our communities."

Thompson and Poudre School Districts are looking forward to working together with regional partners on this critical effort.

“Poudre School District and the PSD Board of Education are in strong support of the youth homeless shelter to expand the services and spaces available to our students who need our community’s support the most,” said Superintendent Brian Kingsley. “PSD is proud to support and contribute to this project because a safe space like this has the potential to change students’ lives in significant and long-lasting ways." 

"Thompson School District is proud to work with our valued partners and serve as the host location for the NoCo Regional Youth Shelter," said Superintendent Dr. Marc Schaffer. "As educators, we know that students are not able to learn and grow to their fullest potential if their basic needs are not being met. The services that will be offered through this shelter will provide critical support to youth in need throughout our community. As we move into the next phases of this project, we look forward to partnering with our community to share additional details and garner feedback, while continuing to build strong relationships that will benefit our youth."

State funding for the project was awarded through two Colorado state grant programs - the Transformational Affordable Housing, Homeownership and Workforce Housing Grant program (grant award of $3,757,160) and the Transformational Homelessness Response Grant program (grant award of $1,000,000). In addition, the project has been awarded a grant of $1,500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding by Larimer County.

The Transformational Homelessness Response Grant program's goal is to “create a future where homelessness is rare and brief when it occurs, and no one gets left behind.”

The program achieves this goal by advancing and implementing proven solutions and program models that reduce homelessness in a holistic and sustainable way by targeting many of the key underlying factors necessary for people to thrive. This includes advancing equity, improving overall well-being, connecting to benefits and stable housing, and increasing employable skills and experiences that allow individuals to meet their needs, pursue their goals, and achieve self-sufficiency. In addition to reducing homelessness, the program works to reduce public utilization costs, revitalize public spaces, and increase workforce opportunities.

Design work for the shelter is currently underway and community meetings to share additional information will be scheduled this fall.

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