Once a shelter against extreme weather conditions, the Lakewood navigation center has officially opened after nearly a year of renovations, part of the city’s campaign to combat its growing homeless population.

The city, in partnership with the Volunteers of America Colorado, opened the VOA Colorado Navigation Center on Friday — though the center has been taking in new people since March 10.

The location at 8000 W. Colfax Ave. was once the RecoveryWorks daytime service center, which provided extreme weather shelter and resources. The facility closed in April 2025 to undergo nearly $11 million in renovations, including retrofitting the location to allow for up to 100 people to live in the south building.

Now, the center will be open 24/7. It offers showers, lockers and laundry services, officials said.

Lakewood chose VOA to run the center and the Colorado Department of Local Affairs chipped in $9.3 million in funding.

The idea started back in 2018, according to Mayor Wendi Strom.

“This facility is the first of its kind in Jefferson County,” Strom said. “It’s not just a bed and it’s not just a meal. The help that will be provided under this roof will help end the cycle of homelessness for many of our residents.”

The idea is that navigation outreach teams in the county — like the Lakewood Police Department’s Navigator Program — can identify people who are looking for help to get back into a permanent home. They can then be brought to the center to live until the “goal is met,” according to Chris Conner, manager of Lakewood’s Housing and Thriving Communities Division.

No drug use is allowed at the facility and a curfew is set in place. The facility is not a rehabilitation center. It will focus on stabilization and connecting people to services for long-term housing, officials said.

Families and children will also not be sheltered at the site.

Lakewood’s point-in-time count in 2024 — part of an annual nationwide survey to provide a single night’s snapshot of homelessness in America — found 329 homeless people in the city on Jan. 22.

The next closest city, Arvada, had 292 homeless people. In all, 925 were homeless in Jefferson County, while Denver had 6,539.

According to Jefferson County, homelessness increased 27% between 2024 and 2025, the largest rate hike in the Denver metro area, according to the recent point-in-time count.

“Today marks more than an opening. Like Easter, it marks a beginning. A future where dignity is restored, lives are rebuilt and hope is put into action,” VOA CEO Dave Schunk said.