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12 SEPTEMBER 9-22, 2017 | DENVER CATHOLIC Around the Archdiocese O n Aug. 24, Catholic Chari- ties opened the largest wom- en's-only homeless shelter in Denver. Samaritan House Women's Shelter in northeast Denver will oŠer emergency overnight shelter for up to 100 single women and will accommodate another 50 women with a 29-day non-medical detox program designed to help them transition from homelessness. Set to begin taking residents Sept. 15, the new site will enable Charities to shelter up to 250 single women a night when combined with the women's quar- ters at Samaritan House downtown. More than 500 women will receive services annually through the 29-day program. "Today, we're here to celebrate a new era in oŠering services to homeless women in Denver," Larry Smith, presi- dent and CEO of Charities in the Denver Archdiocese, told those gathered at the grand opening, which included Arch- bishop Samuel Aquila, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, and invited guests. The shelter's emergency service will provide women with hot meals at Samar- itan House on Lawrence Street down- town before and after transporting them to the new northeast site for the night. The shelter's transitional program will oŠer women onsite meals and shelter, recovery and counseling resources, and help finding employment. "It will allow them to collect them- selves and realize that they have dignity — dignity in the eyes of God and dig- nity in the eyes of other human beings, which is oftentimes lost by the home- less," Smith said. "Our goal is to have these women gain stability — stable income, stable housing — and at the end, and most importantly… self-reli- ance and self respect." The $5.1 million, 32,000-square-foot renovated facility was realized in part- nership with the city of Denver, which provided a $1 million grant. "On any given night, 150 souls can be here in this facility…150 souls can receive a tailored response to their needs," Mayor Hancock told the crowd. Noting that he had just come from the opening of the Sanderson Apartments in southwest Denver, a city project that will serve the chronically homeless, he added, "This is a big day in the life of our city." The 2017 point-in-time survey by the Metro Denver Homeless Initia- tive shows that a third of the homeless population on a given night in January were women (1,722). Single women are SAMARITAN HOUSE WOMEN'S SHELTER 32,000 square-foot building 2 programs: emergency shelter and 29-day recovery program Up to 150 single women served each night at new shelter More than 500 women served annually in 29-day recovery program Catholic Charities opens Denver's largest women's homeless shelter New shelter to provide services for up to 150 single females a night BY ROXANNE KING editor_king@icloud.com @RoxanneIKing Catholic Charities President and CEO Larry Smith (R) gives Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock (C) and Denver City Councilman Christopher Herndon (L) a tour during the grand opening event of the Samaritan House Women's Shelter on August 24, 2017, in Denver, Colorado. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE CATHOLIC ALLIANCE