Tucked behind the shopping center that houses the King Soopers and Murdoch’s on north Main Street is a suite of offices that hopes to become a day shelter for those experiencing homelessness. Front Range Mission and Agape Safe Haven have partnered to offer day services and resource connections from the day shelter.
Homelessness has been a topic on the minds of many Longmont residents, especially those in the north Main Street corridor. Often you can find people with their scattered belongings attempting to find a small place to rest for a time before being shooed away to the next spot.
James Taylor, minister for Front Range Missions, said he was called by God to help those people make a better life for themselves.
Taylor moved to Longmont nearly three years ago and immediately began connecting with local nonprofits that serve those experiencing homelessness. After learning more about the issue in Longmont he felt drawn to do more. He researched where the gaps in services were and discovered that simple things like laundry facilities and church services offered to the homeless community were missing.
These were areas he felt he could do something about. He began searching for a place to house church services in town. Along the way he discovered Agape Safe Haven, which offers overnight shelter for homeless adults. He learned that they recently had to close their day services for people experiencing homelessness. He jumped at the opportunity to partner in order to relaunch a need in the community.
“We’re excited to be able to do it and to partner with them (Agape) and I think this has the potential to save lives and for lives to be recovered,” Taylor said.
The day services at the facility being referred to as Safe Haven will offer laundry, showers, food and bible study on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Safe Haven hopes to open its doors on Nov. 14, however, some community pushback may delay or eliminate the opening date.
Jessica Bennett, executive director of Agape said the day shelter is meant to help the community of people in north Longmont who are already experiencing homelessness connect with local services such as housing services, addiction services and to work with local case managers.
“We are here to help be a solution. Our intent is not to make this a little Skid Row, our intent is to help people who need to do their laundry, take a shower and maybe get a hot meal,” Bennett said. “We, above all else, promote sobriety … We’re here to be a resource. It’s not a homeless hangout, there’s a purpose.”
Safe Haven is also partnering with Hopelight to provide medical care to those who visit the shelter. Marcia Moore, a nurse practitioner, will have her own office space to provide healthcare, a change from meeting people in parks or parking lots, she said.
Although there will be no barriers to those seeking help, there will be rules, Bennett said. She said she won’t turn someone away if they need food, however, she has a responsibility to keep those within the shelter safe. Those who visit the day shelter will only be allowed to be in the space during operating hours — no one will stay overnight. Once the doors are closed, patrons will not be allowed to linger outside the facility.
“The homeless are here already,” Bennett said remarking on the number of people who are unhoused and hanging around the north Main Street area. “Until we come together as a community, as a Longmont community, to help these people, nothing is going to change.”
