Durango City Council on Tuesday approved a resolution to establish an emergency warming center at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Parish Hall in South Durango.
The center will provide overnight shelter for the city’s unhoused population on nights when temperatures drop to 15 degrees or below this winter.
“I believe we face a fundamental moral and public safety issue, and we cannot, in good conscience, risk having people die on the streets of Durango this winter simply because they have no warm place to sleep,” Councilor Jessika Buell said before the vote. “We must give the Sacred Heart partnership and NINA (Neighbors in Need Alliance) the opportunity to save lives.”
The shelter will operate from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. Nov. 1 through Feb. 28 and accommodate up to 20 guests per night. It will be managed by the Emergency Warming Center Council in partnership with the Neighbors in Need Alliance, Manna soup kitchen and the American Red Cross. Paid staff and trained volunteers, including a designated fire watch, will oversee operations to ensure guest safety.
Eleven residents spoke during public comment, offering both support and criticism for the proposed location.
Two speakers – representing Durango School District 9-R and Park Elementary School, located about 0.3 miles from Sacred Heart – opposed the plan, citing safety concerns.
Superintendent Karen Cheser was the first to speak, commending the compassion behind the effort but expressing the district’s unease about the site.
Parents and staff at Park Elementary have reported people defecating on school property, engaging in sexual activity, destroying student science projects, and sleeping on school steps and entrances, Cheser said. Needles, liquor bottles and other paraphernalia have been found on campus, and the school has been placed on lockdown several times in recent years.
Park Elementary parent Stacy Bow echoed those concerns.
The remaining nine speakers voiced strong support for the warming center and urged the community and City Council to act with compassion and avoid stigmatizing people experiencing homelessness.
“The thing I want to suggest is that some of the fear is based on not very well-collected and detailed analysis of what these incidents are,” said resident Tamara Hoyer. “Last year, people weren’t sleeping – they were hanging out because they could come and get food. This is going to be a sleeping shelter.”
“I want people to realize that we have a tendency to profile out of fear and not enough data or personal experience with a broad range of people who are homeless,” Hoyer added.
Councilors also heard from operational planners and volunteers who outlined strict behavioral guidelines, supervised access and trauma-informed care principles for the shelter.
Representatives from the Durango Police Department said they were not aware of any incidents involving unhoused individuals harassing students at Park Elementary.
Council members praised the extensive community engagement that preceded the proposal. NINA Chair Mike Todd said door-to-door outreach showed 88% neighborhood support for the project.
In response to school district concerns, organizers revised shelter hours to end before the school day begins and created a designated route for guests leaving in the morning.
The resolution also requires a joint safety and response protocol to be developed among Sacred Heart Parish, NINA, the Durango Police Department and Park Elementary. It includes a clause allowing the council to revoke the shelter’s temporary use permit if significant issues arise.
Over the next several weeks, the groups, agencies and Park Elementary school will try to begin working on a detailed safety response plan.
“I don't feel like I could look my kids in the eyes when I get home tonight if I vote ‘no’ on this and not show them what compassion looks like in real time,” said Councilor Kip Koso.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
