Homeless task force in Loveland dissolves

By Noah Festenstein 02/06/2025 | updated 7 months ago

A rendering of the Loveland Resource Center in place of the old First Christian Church of Loveland. Following postponement of a rezoning vote in December 2024, the church has withdrawn its application to operate the building as a 24/7 homeless shelter and resource center.
Courtesy photo, ShopWorks

A task force to curb homelessness in Loveland dissolved after the City Council indefinitely postponed a vote to rezone an old church into a 24/7 homelessness resource center and overnight shelter.

The 63-year-old First Christian Church of Loveland filed an application to the city requesting a rezoning to allow it to operate a homeless resource center and shelter. Loveland City Council indefinitely postponed the vote on Dec. 17, citing a need for an impact study prior to further consideration, according to church officials and the Loveland Homelessness Task Force.

Following the postponement, the church withdrew its application and the Loveland Homelessness Task Force “collectively agreed” to dissolve, church officials and the task force announced on Thursday in a news release.

“We need a robust system of resources centered around a singular goal: housing,” Sandra Wright, a spokesperson with task force homelessness service provider Homeward Alliance, told The Denver Gazette on Thursday.

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“As for the city itself,” Wright said, “we do not know how they intend to move forward. This is part of why the task force elected to dissolve itself and why the church chose to withdraw its application. We cannot afford to wait for the city to decide next steps, while we watch the crisis of homelessness unfold around us.”

Approximately 500 people experience homelessness and access services monthly in Loveland, according to Wright.

Loveland’s homelessness task force operated under City Council’s direction. Over 18 months, the group led initiatives to establish homelessness data, increase community involvement and expand funding sources for a 24/7 resource and overnight shelter within city limits.

Task force officials said the intention was to “develop a plan that transitions the city from being a shelter operator back to its preferred and less-costly role as a supporting partner.”

“The task force felt that the council’s decision ran contrary to their previous direction and showed a lack of commitment to pursuing proven homelessness solutions,” task force officials said of dissolving.

“The task force therefore chose not to continue its efforts under the current framework,” officials said, adding the initiative with Homeward Alliance “united nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and private funders to develop sustainable homelessness solutions in Loveland.”

First Christian Church of Loveland Lead Pastor Michael Stein said the council’s decision was a stalled process, calling the postponement vote a “constructive denial.”

The pastor argued the city refused to hear information the church prepared for them within its rezoning application.

“Although the residents seemed evenly divided on our specific location, there was consensus that they wanted their city government to be an active part of a solution,” Stein said.

Loveland is located 50 miles north of Denver, where the homeless population has skyrocketed in recent years. In Loveland, public surveys revealed a “favorable percentage” of residents desiring more homeless resources in the city, according to task force officials.

“It is deeply unfortunate that the Homelessness Task Force must disband,” Kari Clark, the executive director of Alternatives to Violence and a task force member, said in a statement. “Not due to a lack of commitment or solutions, but because of the delay tactics of the City Council. The real harm will be felt by those in our community who are experiencing homelessness.”

In a response statement, city officials didn’t speak on the task force’s dissolvement or the church’s response, but said the city will address its homeless program expenditures and shelter strategies during a Feb. 25 City Council study session.

“Homelessness is a complex topic to which there are no easy answers,” Loveland city officials said.

Updated 4 days ago

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