One thing employees of Volunteers of America say they know for certain: the needs of people living on Colorado streets are increasing.
They range from seasoned all-weather campers to a family of Venezuelan refugee newcomers wearing shorts who wandered up to VOA’s mission downtown at 2877 Lawrence St. recently – as temperatures plunged to 25 degrees. They were among the tens of thousands who found hot meals and a place to stay at VOA facilities around the state. The Venezuelans got warmer clothes, coats, and gloves.
Needs are increasing due to “the current times in Colorado and everywhere else in the United States,” VOA vice president Faustine Curry said on her way to a Christmas party with low-income seniors at VOA’s Sunset Towers on Larimer Street. “Costs of living are high. Inflation is high.”
“We have a waiting list for our Meals On Wheels programs for elderly residents who can’t easily go out. We have waiting lists at many of our affordable housing facilities. A lot of people are looking for a place to start their lives moving in a positive direction.”
VOA’s capacity to help its clientele is increasing, too.
A faith-based organization, VOA was founded in 1896 by Maud Booth and her husband, Ballington, who established VOA’s westernmost mission at the time in Denver at that Lawrence Street site. The facility was renovated last year. VOA’s priority has been helping older adults, children, families, and military veterans. Driven by 400 employees on an annual budget of $40 million, VOA now operates 42 facilities around Colorado, promising “a hot lunch for anyone who needs food.” The facilities provided help, including temporary housing, counseling, and other guidance, for more than 100,000 clients this past year.
Construction contractors are scheduled to break ground this month on one of VOA’s most ambitious projects to create a full-service temporary housing complex – done in partnership with the city of Denver using $17.7 million in city bond and federal funds. Launched under former Mayor Michael Hancock, this project jibes with Mayor Mike Johnston’s priority of ensuring shelter for the city’s growing population of homeless residents. Construction crews are scheduled to replace the former 1960s-era Aristocrat Motor Hotel at 4855 W. Colfax Ave., near the Xavier Street intersection, with the five-story VOA Colorado Theodora Family Hotel — a place with underground parking for up to 150 non-paying guests in 60 rooms.
The design incorporates a grassy courtyard space envisioned as a safe zone where children can play. The hotel is scheduled to open in the spring of 2025.
A public elementary school nearby can accept the children, Curry said. “Children need to be in school.”
Guests will receive hot meals delivered from VOA’s central kitchen facility in Commerce City.
The idea is for temporary stays, as brief as possible, she said. VOA’s strategy for decades has been based on the idea that, once basic needs are met, people can pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life.
“Faith-based” doesn’t exclude guests, Curry added. “We are accepting of anyone.”
Facility supervisors do enforce behavioral rules. “At our new family hotel, we would love to be able to support and help more families. They need to hold up their end of the deal, which is to not use drugs and work to progress themselves forward. Then they can use our case services to get their lives into the next step – a successful plan to find permanent housing.”
Volunteers of America Colorado
Address: 2660 Larimer St., Denver, CO 80205
Number of employees: 400
Founded: 1896
Number of clients served in 2023: more than 100,000
Annual budget: $40 million
