Loveland Resource Center Closes as City Searches for Long-Term Homelessness Solution

The Loveland Resource Center, a hub for food, services and overnight shelter for people experiencing homelessness, permanently closed its doors Thursday.

Loveland Mayor Pat McFall said the center was never intended to be a permanent solution. “It’s not the city giving up on them. It’s a city saying that there’s a limit to what we can do,” McFall said. He added, “There’s got to be more conversation going on a regional path forward.”

In March, Loveland formed a homelessness ad hoc committee to develop sustainable solutions. The source notes that shelter options were already limited across northern Colorado, and attention is now turning to what service partners can provide.

The Salvation Army of Loveland has operated for 10 years on Lincoln Avenue and is expanding its presence there. Director Olga Duvall said the facility is doubling in size. “During this turbulent time of changes in Loveland, the Salvation Army is still here,” Duvall said.

Duvall also said, “The Salvation Army expects to see more people coming in as the services are not easily available in Loveland.” The expanded facility is expected to open at the end of May and will include a larger food pantry, a clothing closet, a mail service and lockers for people experiencing homelessness, showing hospitality to neighbors in need (Matthew 25:35).

Daniels, who was also interviewed about the closure, asked, “Why? Why did it come to this, period? Why would it come to this?”

The city maintains the closure is a necessary step toward finding a lasting solution.

Source: Read the original report