Loveland, Colo. — ACLU of Colorado sent a letter today urging the city of Loveland to stop both the impending closure of the South Railroad Facility (SRF), the city’s only overnight shelter for people experiencing homelessness, and the restriction of the Loveland Resource Center (LRC) to daytime services other than in ‘extreme weather.’ The city intends to end these services by September 30, leaving unhoused residents no place to go at night. The letter expresses deep concern with the process the city used to make its decision to close the shelter and emphasizes that shuttering these facilities with no alternative sheltering plan in place endangers the health and safety of housed and unhoused residents.
“Closing the city’s only overnight shelter with winter right around the corner actively puts human lives at risk,” said Annie Kurtz, ACLU of Colorado senior staff attorney. Loveland leadership has an obligation to protect the health and safety of all residents, and it has all the authority it needs to do so.”
The SRF is a city-run facility with temperature-regulated tents and modular facilities. It opened in April 2023 under a temporary use permit. In response to community push-back to the announced September 30 closure, the city has claimed that municipal laws prevent it from extending the permit past that date. ACLU of Colorado lawyers write that the permit can and should be extended until at least April 2026, as residents have requested, to get through the dangerous winter season and provide a meaningful opportunity for legislative and public deliberation on a short- and long-term sheltering plan for the city.
The ACLU of Colorado’s letter calls for the city to extend the SRF permit through at least April 2026, as allowed by city law. The organization hopes for a prompt response from city leaders.