Here’s some need-to-know information for the week

City updates homelessness winter weather protocols

In Boulder, a number of organizations provide sheltering for people experiencing homelessness. This includes TGTHR, serving youth; SPAN, helping victims of domestic violence; EFAA, hoteling families experiencing homelessness; Haven’s Ridge, helping women, transgender, and non-binary people; and All Roads, acting as the main provider of shelter for single adult individuals.

In recent years, when weather has been of concern, All Roads has worked with the city to fully utilize all available beds at its facility, including increasing the number of available beds to 180, and leveraging alternative housing options for long-term users of the All Roads Shelter to make more shelter beds available.

Occasionally, weather conditions are so severe that opening an Extreme Weather Shelter is required as a life/safety measure. As a process improvement, staff has worked with partners to formalize criteria and protocols for the implementation and operation of an Extreme Weather Shelter.

The City of Boulder’s winter weather response will be comprised of the following levels:

  1. Core Winter Months – All Roads continues to provide expanded sheltering year-round, regardless of winter weather conditions, including day services on weekdays and use of all available shelter beds, up to 180 beds on a nightly basis.
  2. Critical Weather Conditions – All Roads will expand day services to weekends (when the Homelessness Day Services Center is not otherwise operational) when the following weather conditions exist:
    1. a warning or blizzard or dangerous winds with gusts in excess of 70 M.P.H.; or
    2. predicted low temperature of 10°F or below; or
    3. predicted six inches or more of snowfall.
  3. Extreme Weather - When conditions meet the criteria below, and the City of Boulder has the necessary resources, the city may also open an Extreme Weather Shelter. An Extreme Weather Shelter will only be activated when conditions are consistently expected to last a minimum of three nights and there is:
    1. A forecasted consistent daily high of 5°F or below when accompanied by heavy precipitation or forecasted blizzard, heavy wind (in excess of 30MPH sustained/70MPH gusts), or extreme winter weather watch/warning; or
    2. A forecasted consistent nightly low of 0°F or lower.

Boulder County and All Roads will help staff any future Extreme Weather Shelters.

All forecasts are to be provided by the National Weather Service, and decisions to open and close the Extreme Weather Shelter will be made based on forecasts 48 hours, minimum, in advance of opening the shelter.

For more information, contact Vicki Ebner, Housing and Human Services Operations and Homelessness Strategy senior manager, at ebnerv@bouldercolorado.gov.

Regards,
Nuria

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