Denver Catholic

13 DENVER CATHOLIC | SEPTEMBER 9-22, 2017 5 shelters 210,000 nights of shelter annually 730,000 meals prepared annually Com- bined with Samari- tan House in down- town Denver, the new women's shel- ter will provide up to 250 single women with a place to stay on any given night. Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila celebrated Mass and blessed the Samaritan House Women's Shelter chapel during the grand opening event. CATHOLIC CHARITIES' SHELTER SERVICES [This] is a great joint eƒ ort by the city and the Church to reach out and help the most vulnerable." ARCHBISHOP AQUILA " among the fastest growing segments of homelessness in the nation and have a higher failure rate leaving homeless- ness than men because they experience greater trauma, the archbishop and Smith said. "Here they know that they're safe and get shelter from the storm of home- lessness," Smith told the Denver Catho- lic, adding that once they're stable they can enter a more aggressive four-month program at the downtown Samaritan House that aims to further equip them to live independently. In addition to the sleeping quarters, the new shelter includes a chapel, a prayer garden, a patio for smokers, pri- vate showers, a computer lab, a dining area and a commercial kitchen. The upper fl oor will house the majority of Charities' administrative o° ces, which are moving from their current site in northwest Denver to keep workers "on the front lines" with the people they serve. O° cials said the sale of the old administrative facility will help pay for the new shelter. "[This] is a great joint eŠ ort by the city and the Church to reach out and help the most vulnerable," Arch- bishop Aquila told the gathering. "It is a reminder to every person that no one is a 'throwaway' as Pope Francis has so often told us." The archbishop added his gratitude to that of Smith and Hancock to thank all who collaborated and donated to bring the facility to completion. "God has never meant for anyone to be homeless," he said. "He permits it, but it is us who have to be the ones who welcome the homeless and let them know their dignity. "I know the Lord will bless you," he added, "for he will never be outdone in generosity." [This] is a great joint eƒ ort by the city and the Church to reach out and help the most vulnerable." ARCHBISHOP AQUILA "

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