DENVER — Denver7 is following up on the closure of a shelter run by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless to make way for an affordable housing complex they've had planned.
When we first spoke to residents at the Park Avenue Inn, right at the interchange of Park and I-25, back in October, the clock was ticking down until the end of January when the shelter would close for good.
"There's like 25 people still here that don't know what they're doing," said Michelle Pasco, who was staying at Park Avenue with her husband Aaron Dawson.
At the time, we asked the Coalition what the plan was for the residents still at the shelter.
"We will work with everybody at Park Avenue in to make sure that they have a safe place to exit to," said Cathy Alderman, the public policy officer for Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.
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On Friday, Denver7 went by the property. It's empty, surrounded by a locked gate and has security on site.
"We were awarded some tax credits to start construction, which we hope to start in late spring, early summer," said Alderman.
The Coalition said it was always their plan to demolish the old hotel and build an affordable housing complex for extremely low incomes. We asked where did the people who lived in the shelter go before it closed?
"In some instances, those were other transitional housing programs with the city of Denver the all in Mile High locations. Some of those were transitional housing programs that we operate," she said.
Some residents found friends or family to stay with and two left on their own, according to the Coalition.
As for Pasco and Dawson, Denver7 connected with them again over the phone, they tell us they were able to find housing through Jewish Family Services and are living happily together at a new shelter.
The affordable housing project is expected to fully open in 2027.
