Denver Cold-Weather Shelter Activation: Where to Go on Freezing Nights
Denver doesn't run one single "cold weather shelter." It runs a set of front doors that stay open all year, then expands them when the forecast turns dangerous. Here's how activation works, where to walk in tonight, and what changed during last winter's cold snaps.
AT A GLANCE
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How Denver decides to open extra shelter
The Department of Housing Stability (HOST) runs Denver's shelter system with outreach and shelter partners. The Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE) watches the weather and decides when temperatures call for a severe weather activation.
The City's published cold weather plan sets two separate triggers. One adds overnight beds. The other opens daytime warming centers.
Cold Weather Shelter (overnight) | Daytime warming centers | |
|---|---|---|
Opens when | Existing shelters are over capacity and one weather trigger is met | Any one weather trigger is met |
Weather alert | NWS Cold Weather Advisory, Extreme Cold Watch or Extreme Cold Warning | Same alerts |
Temperature | Forecast overnight low of 25°F or below | Forecast daytime high of 20°F or below |
Snow | 2 inches or more forecast for Denver | 2 inches or more forecast for Denver |
Where | Overflow space in existing shelters first, then dedicated cold weather sites | Recreation centers, libraries and other public facilities, during normal business hours |
Hours | Operates as 24-hour shelter while activated | Regular business hours |
The most recent plan posted on the City's site is the 2024–2025 version. HOST says that when extra overflow shelter opens, a banner appears on denvergov.org and details are posted at the top of its Severe Weather Shelter Plans page.
People in need of shelter should go to the city's front door shelter access points, and they will be transported to overnight shelter.
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Where to walk in: Denver's front doors
You don't need to know which shelter has a bed. HOST picked a few central locations as the entry point for the whole system. These sites have longer intake hours and can transport people to other facilities.
Who | Where | Hours | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
Single men | Lawrence Street Community Center (Denver Rescue Mission), 2222 Lawrence St. | 7 a.m.–8 p.m. daily; arrive before 6 p.m. for transportation | (303) 294-0157 |
Single women | Samaritan House, 2301 Lawrence St. | 4:30 p.m.–7:30 a.m. daily; arrive between 4 and 4:30 p.m. | (303) 294-0241 |
Families with minor children | Salvation Army Connection Center (phone intake) | 7 a.m.–9 p.m. Mon.–Fri.; 8 a.m.–noon Sat. and Sun. | (303) 295-3366 |
Youth ages 12–24 | Urban Peak, 1630 S. Acoma St. | See the note below | See the note below |
Domestic violence | SafeHouse Denver | 24-hour crisis hotline | (303) 318-9989 |
A note on Urban Peak. The City's web page and its printable handout (dated February 18, 2026) list different hours and phone numbers for Urban Peak. The web page lists walk-up access at The Mothership, (303) 974-2900. It's open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends, with a daily waitlist at (303) 974-2908. The handout lists (303) 974-2928 and shorter hours. Call ahead to confirm.
Lawrence Street's daily rhythm
Lawrence Street Community Center opens to everyone seeking shelter, dinner or cold weather options at 2:30 p.m. Earlier in the day, it serves breakfast and lunch to people who stayed overnight at Denver Rescue Mission. People who stayed overnight only at Catholic Charities can come in from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Walk-up only sites
Some shelters take walk-ups but can't move you elsewhere if they're full:
Crossroads (Salvation Army), 1901 29th St., (720) 305-4640. Intake happens only at 10 a.m. daily, as space allows, and there's no transportation to other shelters.
Delores Project, (303) 534-5411. It serves women and transgender people. Beds are assigned only by phone at 10 a.m. daily, and it isn't a walk-up site.
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What changed on activation nights last winter
The City activated Cold Weather Shelter several times in the 2025–26 season. The pattern was consistent. Here is how HOST described it in its January 23, February 18 and March 13, 2026 announcements:
Front doors expanded. The same front doors stayed the entry point, with extra capacity for the cold.
24/7 sites opened. Round-the-clock shelter ran at 2601 W. 7th Ave. and 375 S. Zuni St., plus 4411 Peoria St. in January and March. In January's deep freeze the City added 4849 Bannock St. and The Aspen shelter at 4040 Quebec St.
Families went to one place in person. Families had to go with their children to the Inn at the Highland, 2601 Zuni St. Intake for family shelter vouchers started at 9 a.m. on activation days. If motel vouchers ran out, a family congregate shelter would open as backup.
Buses ran daily. Transportation ran from downtown shelters to the cold weather sites.
Pets were welcome. All activation sites were pet-friendly and offered food, showers and blankets, with security on site.
Shelters closed when it warmed up. The March activation, for example, ran from 1 p.m. Sunday, March 15, to 11 a.m. Monday, March 16.
During the March activation, the women's front door was listed as Samaritan House Smith Road, 6240 Smith Rd. The February announcement listed it the same way. The January announcement and the City's year-round page list Samaritan House at 2301 Lawrence St. Check denvergov.org/findshelter on the day you go.
Activation sites change from storm to storm. Treat these addresses as last winter's pattern, not this winter's list.
Daytime warming centers
The same January weekend, Denver Parks and Recreation opened all operating recreation centers as daytime warming centers during regular hours from Friday, Jan. 23, through Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. Warming centers are for daytime only and aren't overnight shelter.
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Daytime help when shelters close
Several day centers offer a warm place, meals and services during business hours. None of them are overnight shelters.
Day center | Address | Phone | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
St. Francis Center | 2323 Curtis St. | (303) 297-1576 | 7 a.m.–3 p.m. Mon., Tue., Thu., Fri.; 7 a.m.–1 p.m. Wed.; 7 a.m.–2 p.m. Sat.–Sun. |
The Gathering Place (women, transgender and nonbinary people, and children) | 1535 N. High St. | (303) 321-4198 | 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon., Wed., Thu., Fri.; 8:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Tue. |
Volunteers of America Mission | 2877 Lawrence St. | (303) 297-0408 | 8:30–11:30 a.m. Mon.–Thu. |
Haven of Hope | 1101 W. 7th Ave. | (303) 607-0855 | 7 a.m.–1 p.m. Mon.–Fri. |
Senior Support Services (ages 60+) | 846 E. 18th Ave. | (303) 832-1622 | 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Mon.–Fri.; lunch 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. |
The free circulator bus
HOST runs a free circulator bus for people experiencing homelessness. It operates from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The route connects shelters, day centers and the Stout Street Health Clinic at 2130 Stout St. That clinic offers primary care, dental care, behavioral health care and help enrolling in Medicaid. The route map and stops are in a PDF on the Find Shelter page.
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Pets, health and staying warm indoors
Service animals are allowed in Denver's shelters. Denver Animal Protection's Safe Haven Program can shelter pets for two to four weeks for families experiencing homelessness and during severe weather.
Know the danger signs. DDPHE says hypothermia shows up as shivering, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness. A body temperature below 95 degrees is an emergency. Frostbite causes loss of feeling and color in the face, fingers and toes.
No heat at home? The City treats no heat as a residential health emergency. Tell your landlord first. If they don't fix it in a timely way, call 311 to file a complaint. Our guide to Denver tenant repair rights covers your next steps.
Avoid carbon monoxide. Never heat your home with a gas stove or oven, and run generators only outdoors, away from windows.
Pets outside: Denver ordinance requires adequate outdoor shelter for pets. Neglect can bring a fine of up to $999, up to a year in jail, or both.
Before you call
☐ Who needs shelter: a single adult, a family with children, a young person 12 to 24, or someone fleeing abuse
☐ What time it is, compared with the front door hours above (arrive early for transportation)
☐ For families: every child who will stay with you, since families go in person with their children on activation days
☐ Any ID you have, medications and a phone charger
☐ Whether you have a pet or service animal
☐ For someone you've seen outside: their exact location, so you can give it to 311
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK
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Related help
If you're still housed but worried about your heating bill, see our guide to Xcel Energy bill help in Denver, including LEAP and PIPP. For other short-term options, read about Denver motel vouchers and short-term shelter.
Official sources
Last checked: October 23, 2026 (HOST shelter, front door, day center and severe weather pages, the 2024–2025 Cold Weather Sheltering Plan and the circulator bus flyer; activation sites are from the 2025–26 winter announcements).
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