Since 1998, Colorado FriendShip has served hot meals and distributed clothing and toiletries to homeless people from the parking lot of the Boulder County Justice Center on Canyon Blvd.
“We have been serving from that parking lot for 27 years,” Liz Friedenson, the executive director of Colorado FriendShip, said. “It’s a well-oiled system that has gone on for a long, long, long time.”
But on Sunday, Nov. 9, officers from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office greeted the organization at the parking lot and told staff it was their verbal warning that they could no longer serve food there because they did not have a permit. (The Justice Center is county property within city jurisdiction.) The next Sunday, Nov. 16, Colorado FriendShip didn’t serve a hot meal for the first time in nearly three decades after failing to find another location.
Officers told Friedenson that they were merely messengers for Boulder County Community Planning and Permitting, which had previously sent her a written warning that she later discovered in her spam folder.
Friedenson said she doesn’t understand why the county chose to enforce permitting issues now.
The county pushed back on the idea that it abruptly changed course, saying officials only recently learned about the operation.
“Through complaints about improper trash and food disposal, Boulder County only recently became aware that Colorado FriendShip’s food truck has been using the Justice Center parking lot to serve meals,” said Gloria Handyside, the county commissioners’ communications director. “This is not an increase in enforcement or a decision in collaboration with the City of Boulder; it is the county responding to an activity that had not previously been reviewed or approved.”
Handyside added that any use of county property requires a permit from the county, and that county staff offered to help connect Colorado FriendShip with other organizations that may have a location where they can operate.
“It’s unfortunate, because there are some other programs that are serving meals and giving out clothing throughout the week, but we are the only ones on Sunday evening,” Friedenson said, adding that anywhere between 40 and 70 people show up each Sunday, counting on a meal and supplies “to exist in the elements.”
She views their services as disaster survival support for people who are likely going to spend the night outside, as well as a space for connection and conversation that many homeless people are often missing day to day.
“It can be 10 degrees and snowing outside, and there are still people who show up to get that meal,” she said. She said it breaks her heart to think of people waiting for food that would not arrive on upcoming weekends. “I tried to pass the warning around last Sunday that we might not be there, but I know come Sunday evening, there are going to be people standing there waiting for us.”
The move comes at the same time as the City of Boulder’s adoption of its 2025 Homelessness Strategy Update, which calls for reaching “an end to rough sleeping,” in part by moving “all unsheltered engagement and supply distribution events” to the Day Services Center at All Roads homeless shelter in North Boulder.
Moving services north is part of the city’s strategy to “establish clear boundaries,” which also includes increasing enforcement of the city’s camping ban, relocating people from All Roads to other places, ideally family or past connections, and maximizing affordable housing of all kinds in the county, including hostels and boarding houses.
Colorado FriendShip is looking for a new private parking lot, ideally in the downtown area — meeting people where they are. So far, they have been unsuccessful.
I am appalled the ‘Not-in-my-Backyard’ mindset of people re. homeless – hungry people and the free meals offered to them. I followed them from my apartment at Canyon Pointe as they once came to the parking lot by the Justice Center but moved – for whatever reason.
There are no respectable words to say about concerted efforts to starve and let die the homeless. But hey. You know. Bureaucracy
Appalling and inhumane.
I heard that other groups like this got flack about trash disposal, and they just started carrying trash bags and helping people to dispose of their plasticware and leftover food. I think that would be a much better solution, as opposed to denying people food to save on the work of picking up trash…
None of this adds up. To say the county just found out about the meal at the Justice Center that has been happening every Sunday for 27 years is laughable. And the notion “that county staff offered to help connect Colorado FriendShip with other organizations that may have a location where they can operate” truly adds insult to injury. Really? Where might that be? What a ruse. If the county is so completely out of touch that they didn’t even realize this event existed, they don’t know anything else either. Why don’t they have the integrity to be honest about their actions and motivations? One last thing, those “hostels” and “boarding houses” mentioned at the end of this article are definitely not intended for the homeless according to the Clutch evaluation presented to city council.
It’s better to see that they get the help to get out of homelessness and not allow them to remain dependent on handouts. That is not compassionate care. It’s just enabling behavior that can destroy them as they destroy safe life for others in Boulder. The Justice Center is on the Creek path which is now littered with far worse than food debris. I stopped riding my bike on the path when they started chasing me, almost a decade ago.
I appreciate this decision. There is no reason that this activity has to take place in an ecologically sensitive area – the river – that is wildlife rich – in and out of the water. It’s not uncommon to find leftover food and trash that attracts and damages wildlife. Every well meaning group that hands stuff out could (should) also make a regular clean up effort; it’s easy to find where trash accumulates. I have found that many unhoused people care about conservation. They are, after all, quite connected to the outdoors. This is good role modeling. Understanding and respecting the needs of natural places uplifts and benefits us all.
So they don’t want to see the issue 1st hand, then they can pass new legislation to do more harm than good so they can sleep at night, great policy.
This is Boulder being Boulder in overdrive. It’s all about image. They’re ramping up efforts to clear the city of people who are visibly unhoused in preparation for Sundance. The mindset is to make it untenable to be unhoused in the city of Boulder. Clearing tents, banishing food programs, and making it criminal to sleep outside without providing addiction treatment, housing options, mental health services, etc. is inhumane. But as long as Boulder looks good, it is good, am I right? Boo.
I do not believe it is about making Boulder look good for Sundance as you say, but compassionate treatment and care for those in danger of destroying their lives and those around them. Feeding them can also be done in treatment facilities where the will be protected from the danger of drugs that have destroyed their physical and mental health. It also protects children from being at risk on the Creek Path and other public spaces. Please put energy and volunteers into finding money for treatment, not for supporting the status quo.
Sara, as you well know, there are no long-term “treatment facilities where they will be protected from the danger of drugs.” CO Friendship is providing basic services that people who have no other viable options need. All Roads, as you know, is full most days and turns people away regularly. People have to be somewhere, and they need to eat. If you have any viable solutions that can be implemented please inform us. The city is never going to foot the bill for mental health or addiction services, and the county seems reluctant to go all in on that. Meanwhile, the unhoused are left in the lurch.
This is sad that the city and or county feel they need to profit from this
This is truly shameful. I can’t believe my city is doing this kind of petty thing to the homeless. What a privileged and elitist thing to do. I never again want to hear the virtue signaling from wealthy Boulder residents who say they care about the homeless while simultaneously declaring “Not in my backyard!” Disgusting.
Way to go boulder 🙁
Apply for the permit! Force the county to give you a no. Force them to be the bad guy! Say I dare you! Them write another article describing the county’s disdain for the homeless.
It makes perfect sense that the random food/clothing services operated about town should be centralized. The City’s homeless strategy is attempting to do that. Then also, folks can learn about support services. Otherwise, how inefficient to have scattered food service here 1x/week, and maybe clothing there, on some day…. So FriendShip would feed folks a hot meal in 10 degrees and then say “good luck tonight”? Better to have fuller services available.
Just another way for another County and City to ignore the homeless. Well they have big fine words about boarding houses and hostels and etc but where is the money going to come from usually when you’re homeless it’s cause you can’t afford to save the money to get an apartment or you don’t have a job any longer. I can just feel the love for their fellow American Citizens.
I agree with Roxanne Peterson that the county is ridiculous for claiming to be unaware. Doesn’t matter though because they know now. Why can’t they waive the permit requirement? Oh right, because it Boulder. Boulder is a shameful place in Colorado.