Following City Council direction during the February 25, 2025 Study Session, the City of Loveland will close the South Railroad Facility Shelter (SRF) at 300 S. Railroad Ave. no later than Sept. 30.

The SRF originally opened in spring 2023 to provide overnight shelter as part of the City’s response to the Emergency Unauthorized Encampment Ban Ordinance which was passed by City Council on May 17, 2022. The ordinance requires the City to provide shelter and temporary storage options before enforcing camping bans on public property. The shelter was always intended to be temporary and received a permit extension in March to align with its planned closure.

The Loveland Resource Center, located at 137 S. Lincoln Ave., will remain open and continue offering daytime support services. The LRC will shift to the hours of 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday on. Sept. 30.

Ordinance update planned

Later this summer, City staff will propose updates to the encampment ordinance to align with the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson. This decision states that cities are no longer required to offer shelter before enforcing camping bans.

The City will continue to monitor and remove unauthorized encampments on public property under the current ordinance and any future updates.

Street outreach program continues

The Loveland Street Outreach Program, launched in 2024 in partnership with SummitStone Health Partners, will continue serving the community. The team helps individuals experiencing homelessness or addiction by connecting them with services and support. They can be reached at 970-494-9956 or outreachloveland@summitstonehealth.org.

Program costs and funding

From 2022 through 2024, the City spent between $1.1 million to $3.1 million annually on encampment removal and shelter operations. Most funding in 2023 and 2024 came from the following one-time sources:

• Federal COVID relief funds (ARPA) secured in 2021
• Emergency Solutions Grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs: $200,000 each year in 2023 and 2024

Any remaining or ongoing costs are paid from the City’s General Fund.

The Street Outreach program is currently funded through the following one-time revenue sources:

• A $595,000 Transformational Homelessness Response Grant from the state, supporting the program through Sept. 30, 2026
• Loveland’s share of the national opioid settlement

More information, including details about the encampment ordinance and shelter programs, can be found at lovgov.org/homelessness.