LOVELAND, Colo. — A man experiencing homelessness in Loveland reached out to Denver7 for help this week as the city deals with a cold weather shelter shortage and is searching for long-term solutions.
The man, who goes by "Seven," and his dog, Sox, typically sleep in a tent behind the Loveland Resource Center (LRC), the city's only shelter.
But Wednesday night, he said people were forced to leave their tents with nowhere else to go.
"This is inhumane. Totally inhumane," he said.
The indoor space at the resource center is prioritized for women and elderly residents, with tent space available out back for men. But during cold weather, Seven said the conditions become dangerous.
"You get so cold and your extremities feel like they're going to fall off," he said.
That's why the City of Loveland is under inclement weather protocol, which prohibits people from sleeping outdoors in tents behind the shelter for safety reasons.
"Basically, we're doing the best we can, cut and dry," said Loveland Mayor Pat McFall.
Instead of allowing outdoor camping behind the shelter, the city is offering motel vouchers. However, McFall said those vouchers are limited due to budget constraints.
"Right now, our city underwent a $10.4 million loss in budget, so we are cutting services in a lot of different ways," McFall said.
The mayor said the city would like to explore regional solutions to address the lack of indoor shelter space.
"Finding a regional solution that can at least help us accommodate with this, using the funding that's there is to do it, instead of each one of the cities digging into that bucket by themselves depleting it...," McFall explained.
While the city searches for a solution, Seven emphasized the urgent need for more resources, particularly during winter months.
"They need 24/7 shelter...[where] everybody has their own bed, space, their own place," he said.
Denver7 is committed to covering the shelter shortage in Loveland. Read our previous coverage below:
- Loveland mayor opens City Hall to the unhoused as city faces shelter uncertainty
- Loveland cuts shelter services despite ACLU pushback, community outcry
- Loveland mayor calls emergency meeting to discuss future of recently closed homeless shelter
- Loveland to keep temporary shelter open through mid-March as city searches for long-term solution
