Amid the winter season’s first snowfall and freezing temperatures, Boulder’s largest homeless shelter, located in North Boulder, turned away what is likely a record number of people earlier this week, according to a shelter official.
On the night of Nov. 6, 27 people were turned away — likely the highest number for a single night since 2020, according to city data on turnaways. Between Nov. 4 and 7, the shelter documented a total of 67 turnaways, likely exceeding any three-day period in recent memory, according to Andy Schultheiss, a spokesperson for All Roads, which operates the shelter in North Boulder.
“The last three nights have been brutal,” Schultheiss told Boulder Reporting Lab this week. “We’re really apprehensive about what we’re going to do this winter.”
The unusually high number of turnaways comes despite the shelter having expanded its capacity to 180 beds from 160 earlier this year. A recent point-in-time count recorded 727 homeless people in Boulder County, a slight drop from the prior year.
Exactly why so many more people are seeking a bed at the shelter is unclear. But this week’s demand surged with the arrival of cold weather. Temperatures dipped below freezing this week, raising safety concerns for those sleeping outside.
The shelter uses a lottery to determine who is allowed inside. On Thursday, Nov. 7, several people did not have their numbers called. They were given a blanket, hand warmers, a bus ticket and a meal in a paper bag.
People who are denied entry to the shelter said they scatter across the city — to IHOP, a gas station, a relative’s house, the emergency room. Some said they look for a place that’s dry and out of the wind.
Sunshine, 58, said she’s having trouble finding a home because she doesn’t have a phone or ID. She said she was denied entry to the shelter twice this week, and again on Thursday. She declined to share where she was planning to go, citing personal safety.
“If I don’t feel safe, I just walk until I see the sun,” she said.
Funding cuts strain capacity
Earlier this year, Boulder County commissioners announced cuts in grant funding for All Roads and other social safety net providers under the Community Partnership Grant program. In 2025, All Roads is set to receive about $654,000 from the program, a 27% decrease from its 2024 funding of about $933,650. The shelter also receives an additional $900,000 in county funding, which remains unchanged for 2025. Schultheiss said that while the shelter aims to maintain its 180-bed capacity through the winter, a reduction back to 160 beds is likely in spring 2025.
Further complicating the shelter’s capacity issues is that it is unlikely to receive city funding to house people in hotel rooms, which previously helped expand shelter capacity on “critical weather nights.” Critical weather conditions occur when forecasts show temperatures of 10 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, snow accumulation of at least six inches or wind gusts exceeding 70 mph.
One reason the city isn’t using hotel rooms this year is the difficulty in finding hotel owners willing to accommodate homeless people, according to Kurt Firnhaber, the city’s director of Housing and Human Services. This challenge worsened with the closure of the Millennium Harvest House Hotel, which the city previously used to accommodate homeless people. The hotel is now being demolished to make way for student housing. Additionally, the federal pandemic-era stimulus funds that previously covered hotel accommodations have run out, according to city officials.
Under “extreme” weather conditions, when forecasts show a daily high of 5 degrees or lower, the city’s protocol states “the city may also open an Extreme Weather Shelter.” The city may also coordinate with the county to secure temporary hotel rooms in such weather conditions, according to Firnhaber.
The recent turnaways at the shelter highlight Boulder’s ongoing debate over how to allocate limited resources — whether to focus on expanding shelter capacity or getting people into permanent homes. Currently, All Roads serves more people in housing than those sleeping in the shelter.
Can’t some people sleep on the floor in the shelter in cases of extreme cold? They could freeze to death out in the cold! At least they would be warm.
Back in the day, pre-covid, the churches were an extra shelter for the homeless, especially on overloaded nights. Even the City of Boulder Parks/Rec IRIS Center studio was used. What has happened to all the Caring Community – especially the churches.? I would like to see some investigative reporting on that. Especially the larger churches, like Sacred Heart. Also why other Boulder County cities are not also taking care of their own.
That was all shut down by City of Boulder Housing and Human Services in 2017. They wanted to do it their way and keep the churches out of it. So they eliminated all services and tried to drive the homeless out by making it as difficult as possible to exist here. Now they’ve consolidated almost all services for single homeless adults at AllRoads (including the new day shelter they were forced to stand up) but, Surprise! AllRoads doesn’t have the physical capacity or funding to manage all the new duties they’ve taken on. So they want to cut back on shelter beds first to ease budget constraints. This is what passes for homelessness policy in the City of Boulder
I just wanted to say thank you for saying this, for it is true but not common knowledge.
The shelter lottery is malarkey to me. It’s very frustrating to sit there for 2 hours watching everybody get called in before you just to get turned away. I’ve seen many a person get fingers and toes amputated because of this. The church is here in Boulder a wonderful they would take care of the homeless in any way they possibly could I really believe this.
No they can’t sleep on the floor. There are only 180 beds. And the budget can no longer afford hotel rooms for the overflow. Instead Boulder has to approve Jay Rd. for 84 housing units for the “missing (now found) middle” last night. Unanimous. Who needs homeless? Annexations are what we need. Next up, Area Three Planning Reserve. More cash for the folks that REALLY need it, the developers. I’m forced to be facetious.