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New development in a homeless shelter for Glenwood

Donna Daniels

A planned shelter for the homeless took a big step toward becoming a reality last week with the donation of a parcel of land at Wulfsohn Ranch in West Glenwood.

Glenwood Meadows developer Robert Macgregor offered to lease a 6,000-square-foot parcel of land to the Salvation Army.

The land is north of West Midland Avenue and just below the new Roaring Fork Transit Authority bus barn, said Salvation Army Glenwood Springs case manager Karolyn Spencer.



Its location is especially favorable because it is across the street from a planned bus stop, which homeless folks rely on for transportation, Spencer said. In addition, it is not close to a residential area, where neighbors might object to it.

Salvation Army will lease the property for 30 years at $10 per year, she added.



The three-level building proposed for the site will hold 30 beds and house Spencer’s office as well as the day center, which now operates out of the American Baptist Church in downtown Glenwood.

Its size could range from 5,500 to 6,000 square feet, she said.

On the main level there will be a common room, laundry, children’s playroom and the three offices. The dorms will be on the top and bottom levels, with women and men in separate dorm rooms. There will also be four family rooms for women and children, Spencer said.

“What is really exciting about the sleep center is we can take families. We haven’t been able to serve them,” she said.

It will also accommodate people waiting for subsidized housing who need a temporary home.

She’s hoping she can keep the building cost under $1 million.

“I would like to do it for around $800,000, she said.

On June 15, Salvation Army will start a capital campaign to raise funds for the building with a Pet Olympics in Sayre Park.

The Salvation Army will also mail requests for donations to local residents, Spencer said.

Spencer has already received $100,000 from the Salvation Army’s division headquarters in Denver to cover operating costs for both the day center and the shelter.

She has also hired fund-raiser Doug Straw to help with the capital campaign. Last year Straw raised $100,000 for LIFT-UP, Spencer said. And Salvation Army is also sending its development director to lend a hand in fund-raising.

She’ll also apply for grants to fund the shelter, Spencer said.

Before ground can be broken for the shelter, the city must annex the land for Glenwood Meadows. The shelter parcel will be part of that process.

If all goes well with the city annexation process and fund-raising, Spencer she’d like to break ground for the building in September.


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